ST. CLOUD, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Xenex Disinfection Services today announced that St. Cloud Surgical Center is the first ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in the U.S. and the first healthcare facility in St. Cloud to utilize a Xenex germ-zapping robot to enhance patient safety by destroying the deadly pathogens that can cause healthcare associated infections (HAI). St. Cloud Surgical Center is using Xenex’s full-spectrum UV disinfection system to disinfect its surgical suites daily.
“We decided to use the Xenex robot because we want to provide patients with the highest level of safety and environmental cleanliness during surgical procedures at St. Cloud Surgical Center,” said Dr. Joseph P. Nessler, orthopedic surgeon and St. Cloud Surgical Center physician partner.
The Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection system is the fastest, safest and most effective method for the advanced cleaning of healthcare facilities, scientifically proven to reduce all major classes of microorganisms, including Clostridium difficile (C. diff), norovirus, influenza and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). At St. Cloud Surgical Center, the easily portable robot is used in the surgical suites daily after terminal cleaning of the operating room (OR) has taken place. Taking only 5-10 minutes, the robot is utilized to disinfect rooms before and after total joint procedures, as well as after any procedure involving a patient known to have a dangerous infection.
“Patient safety is our top priority,” said Julie Tonsager, OR Team Leader at St. Cloud Surgical Center. “We clean the rooms with traditional cleaning methods, but there are always nooks and crannies that are hard to reach. And, the germs are getting tougher and so it was important for us to take the battle against infections to the next level to ensure our patients receive the best care -- and the Xenex robot allows us to do just that. We evaluated many different options for room disinfection and after careful analysis we chose the Xenex robot because of its proven results.”
The Xenex germ-zapping robot works by pulsing xenon, an inert gas, at high intensity in a xenon ultraviolet flashlamp. This produces broad spectrum ultraviolet C (UVC), which penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms. Their DNA is instantly fused so that they are unable to reproduce or mutate, effectively killing them on surfaces and in the air without contact or chemicals.
About St. Cloud Surgical Center
Founded in 1972, St. Cloud Surgical Center was the first freestanding outpatient surgical center in Minnesota and the second in the nation. An affiliate of Surgical Care Affiliates, St. Cloud Surgical Center offers high quality surgical services in a state-of-the-art surgical facility with 11 operating rooms. Accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), St. Cloud Surgical Center serves patients across the state of Minnesota.
About Xenex Disinfection Services
Xenex's patented pulsed xenon UV room disinfection system is a pesticidal device used for the advanced cleaning of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. The Xenex mission is to eliminate harmful bacteria, viruses and spores that can cause hospital acquired infections in the patient environment, and to become the new standard method for disinfection in healthcare facilities worldwide. For more information, visit www.xenex.com.
