St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration results in clever, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among stories of hope, generosity and bug zapper togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has also given rise to an incredible feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "Bug Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and other entrance-line organizations jumped to secure massive quantities of life-saving supplies and private protecting gear (PPE), there has also been the necessity to identify faster, extra efficient methods to scrub and sterilize these objects, significantly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the necessity and an thought began to form. "It grew to become clear that PPE supplies would develop into restricted because the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place where all surgical and Zone Defender medical devices are sent to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes function that is an important part of the well being care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many items here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.

"But with the present situation, there may be an overwhelming have to course of our employees’ PPE every day. For Dr. Roscher, a mild went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing non-public research about discovering ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and peer-reviewed literature prompt that, in a pandemic, UV-C light could be a suitable strategy to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a selected vary of UV, or extremely-violet, mild and has been shown to deactivate viruses and different pathogens by causing modifications of their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher received in contact with Nelson Tansu, PhD, Lehigh University’s Director and Endowed Chair of its Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics (CPN). "What St. Luke’s was on the lookout for was a excessive-throughput sterilization system," said Dr. Tansu. The 2 organizations joined forces through a sequence of Zoom meetings and a whole lot of emails, to design, fabricate, install and test the machine - all inside a matter of two weeks - and all whereas sustaining social distancing protocols.

The tip end result: a approach to effectively and effectively sterilize 200 masks every 8 minutes! The "Bug patio insect zapper" in action. "Our present models weren't designed for big-scale use. They might solely sterilize about 30 masks at a time," acknowledged Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the project. The unit, engineered by Lehigh college students and staff and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "Bug Zapper" not only because of its appearance, however on account of its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this project moved at such a speedy pace," remarks Dr. Tansu. The staff ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In fact, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput rate. "Our authentic design was cylindrical in shape, to make sure even publicity of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.

"Axel got here to me and stated, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And sure sufficient, he was proper. A patent to protect the team’s intellectual design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to fulfill, in-particular person, shall be deliberate as soon as it is secure to take action. Until then, the Bug Zapper might be onerous at work, helping to protect the frontline staff at St. Luke’s and Official Zap Zone Defender beyond. This, like so many other tales, offers a ray of hope in the course of the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome something - especially when working together for patio insect zapper a terrific trigger. Afterall, because the famous philosopher Plato understood 1000's of years in the past, necessity is the mother of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a completely built-in, regional, non-revenue network of greater than 15,000 employees providing services at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient websites. With annual net income larger than $2 billion, the Network’s service space includes eleven counties: Lehigh, Northampton, patio insect zapper Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Zap Zone Defender Device Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.