SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ridley-Tree Cancer Center unveiled the Xenex® LightStrike® Germ-Zapping Robot™ that is used to enhance environmental cleanliness by disinfecting and destroying hard-to-kill germs, bacteria and superbugs in hard-to-clean places.
“Patients being treated here are often immunocompromised as a result of their treatments and susceptible to infectious disease. The microorganisms that cause infections are getting smarter and becoming antibiotic-resistant, which is why we need new weapons like the Xenex robot to destroy them before they pose a threat to our patients,” said Matthew Kunkel, Vice President of Oncology Services at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center. “The Ridley Tree Cancer Center is a state of the art facility with leading-edge technology. Using the Xenex LightStrike system to disinfect rooms is an example of our commitment to and focus on patient safety. Hundreds of people enter this facility every day – patients, visitors, doctors, employees and vendors – bringing a whole smorgasbord of contaminants and germs with them. Using the Xenex device enables us to get rid of those pathogens before they can endanger our patients and staff.”
The Xenex robot, named “Dr. Lightstrike Flash,” was purchased by the Ridley Tree Cancer Center thanks to a very generous donation by the Roke Foundation. “Flash” uses pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light to quickly destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacterial spores. The portable disinfection system is effective against even the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C.diff), norovirus, influenza, Ebola and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.
UV has been used for disinfection for decades. The Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot is a new technology that utilizes pulsed xenon (not mercury bulbs) to create germicidal UV light. Pulsed xenon emits high intensity UVC light which penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus and spores. Their DNA is fused, rendering them unable to reproduce or mutate, effectively killing them on surfaces.
The portable Xenex system can disinfect a typical patient or procedure room in five minute cycles without warm-up or cool-down times. Operated by the hospital cleaning staff, it can be used in any department and in any unit within a healthcare facility, including isolation rooms, operating rooms, general patient care rooms, contact precaution areas, emergency rooms, bathrooms and public spaces.
The Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection system has been credited by numerous health care facilities across the U.S. for helping them reduce their infection rates significantly. Several hospitals have published their C.diff, MRSA and Surgical Site infection rate reduction studies in peer-reviewed journals. More than 400 hospitals, Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense facilities in the U.S., Canada, Africa, UK, Japan and Europe are using Xenex robots, which are also in use in skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers and long term acute care facilities.
About Ridley-Tree Cancer Center
Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors in our community, the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara with Sansum Clinic and Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara recently opened a new world-class regional cancer center, and renamed the institution Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in honor of lead donor Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree. Ridley-Tree Cancer Center’s highly trained physicians and compassionate staff utilize the latest technology and protocols, and integrate patient support programs and classes to provide every opportunity for successful treatment, recovery and a healthy return to the activities that enrich life. The flagship Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara extends its reach with offices in Lompoc and Solvang to provide patients in mid-Santa Barbara County access to the myriad of services offered, close to home.
Xenex Disinfection Services
Xenex's patented Full SpectrumTM pulsed xenon UV room disinfection system is used for the advanced disinfection of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. Xenex’s mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by destroying the deadly microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections (HAIs). The company is backed by well-known investors that include EW Healthcare Partners, Piper Jaffray Merchant Services, Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II and RK Ventures. For more information, visit Xenex.com.
