Xenex ‘Germ-Zapping Robots’ Go To Work At The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn

Trailblazing innovation is being trialed as part of Trust’s comprehensive programme to prevent the spread of infectious diseases

KING’S LYNN, U.K.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Xenex Disinfection Services today announced that The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn is testing the power of its Germ-Zapping Robots™ for room disinfection. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is the second UK hospital to conduct a trial utilizing Xenex’s patented pulsed xenon Full Spectrum™ ultraviolet (UV) disinfection technology.

“At The Queen Elizabeth Hospital we pride ourselves in continuously looking for ways to improve and provide the best care for patients. The Xenex robots demonstrate to both staff and patients that we are continually looking at new ways of killing harmful germs”

“We are proud to be part of the newly established C.diff infection prevention program at Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn. Prior to incorporating Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots into the hospital’s infection control protocols, Dr. Hosein, Interim Associate Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control, had previously evaluated the Xenex robot’s ability to reduce pathogens in the patient environment. After successful completion of those tests, Xenex robots were quickly taken for further tests at the The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn. Based upon our experience at reducing infections in hospitals, we are confident that King’s Lynn patients will appreciate the enhanced patient safety resulting from usage of our robots,” said Dr. Mark Stibich, Chief Scientific Officer, Xenex.

Infections caused by superbugs like Clostridium difficile (C.diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a global problem and Xenex is a proven solution to destroy the deadly microorganisms before they can harm patients and healthcare workers. Xenex’s germ fighting robots take cleaning and decontamination to the next level by using full spectrum, high intensity UV-C rays to quickly destroy infectious germs in rooms vacated by patients. The robot destroys C.diff spores in less than five minutes, and Xenex has peer reviewed, published outcome studies showing a decrease in C.diff and MRSA and multi-drug resistant organism (MDRO) infections when those hospitals used the Xenex robots to disinfect rooms.

Doctor Ian Hosein, Interim Associate Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control at Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn, said: “The UV-C adds to the hospital’s readiness to combat infectious germs such as Norovirus, C.difficile and the Ebola virus. For this initial trial we are targeting isolation rooms which need to be deep cleaned before the next patient arrives. This will be extended to vacant bays on wards as soon as safety protocols can be put in place.”

“At The Queen Elizabeth Hospital we pride ourselves in continuously looking for ways to improve and provide the best care for patients. The Xenex robots demonstrate to both staff and patients that we are continually looking at new ways of killing harmful germs,” said Dr. Hosein.

Dr. Stibich continued, “Xenex germ-zapping robots are already in use in more than 250 hospitals in the United States, with infection rate reductions of greater than 50 percent reported in medical journals. We look forward to wide-spread deployment of our robots across the U.K. and Europe. Xenex is ideal for use in hospitals worldwide as we have patented protocols for use in multi-bed wards. Unlike other UV disinfection systems, the Xenex robot utilizes pulsed xenon and is capable of killing C.diff spores in less than five minutes. The robot’s speed enables it to disinfect areas and rooms quickly so it can be used throughout the entire facility, including multi-bed wards, to enhance patient and healthcare worker safety.”

There are now ten peer reviewed studies confirming the efficacy of the Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot™ in the healthcare environment, including three studies showing a decrease in C.diff, MRSA and MDRO patient infections when the hospital used the Xenex robot for room disinfection.