SCHENECTADY, N.Y.–(BUSINESS
WIRE)–In an ongoing effort to improve patient safety, Ellis Medicine is the first hospital in the region, second
in the state, to use Xenex’s innovative germ-zapping technology to keep patients even safer from
infections.
“We have zero-tolerance for hospital-acquired infections,”
stated David Liebers, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Ellis Medicine. “Ellis
Medicine has a strong infection prevention program in place right now and were
already lowering infection rates-in fact, most are below state and national
rates, but we want to do even better. Were taking this additional step to
provide our patients with an extra layer of protection,” he added.
“Were always looking for innovative ways to provide
even better, safer care and improve outcomes,” remarked Eve Bankert,
Director, Infection Prevention and Control, Ellis Medicine. “Xenex is the
newest weapon in our arsenal. At Ellis, were declaring war on hospital
acquired infections with this advanced technology. ”
Xenex Healthcare Services portable room disinfection device pulses blue ultraviolet light
throughout the patient room to quickly destroy viruses, bacteria and bacterial
spores – typically in about 5-10 minutes. Ellis will use the device after
thorough cleaning by housekeeping staff of rooms where patients with infectious
conditions have stayed.
“Our housekeepers currently follow Center for Disease
Control and state DOH protocol when cleaning patient rooms and they do a good
job,” said Joe Salvione, Director of Environmental Services at Ellis
Medicine. “Xenex will support those efforts by providing our patients with an
extra measure of disinfection,” he added.
Studies show the Xenex room disinfection system is
consistently 20 times more effective than standard chemical cleaning practices.
“The Xenex system was first deployed in late 2010, meaning
our early customers have now had enough time to calculate the impact Xenex is
having on infection rates,” explains Dr. Mark Stibich, Chief Scientific Officer of Xenex. “In
one hospital in Northampton,
Mass, Clostridium difficile (C. diff) rates dropped 67% percent after adding UV
light disinfection to their cleaning process.”
Xenexs UV room disinfection technology will help Ellis
Medicine further reduce the presence of bacteria – including C. diff- a stubborn bacteria thats been on the
rise in New York State and in hospitals across the
country in recent years. Ellis has already achieved a dramatic drop in C. diff
cases from 2011 to 2012 by aggressively focusing additional resources on
preventing its transmission from patient to patient. The most current stats
show Ellis with a 50% lower rate of C. diff infection than the state average.
The C. diff germ can be found in the community and can be
transmitted when a patient is in any health care facility, including a hospital
or a nursing home. C. diff is a bacterium that causes inflammation of the colon
and can live in an environment for months.
“Because its protected by a hard coating, a microorganism
like C. diff requires an even stronger weapon than standard hospital cleaning
products,” said Dr. Stibich. “Our patented pulsed xenon UV light disinfection
technology penetrates the shell and eliminates the C. diff spore,” he added.
“Were dedicated to an overall culture of safety for our
patients,” remarked Dr. Liebers. “We are continuously striving to
eliminate the transmission of infections by adhering to best practices,
increasing surveillance – and now by using the advanced technology of UV room
disinfection. We are committed to providing the best possible care for every
patient -and that means making sure they dont acquire an infection while in
the hospital.”
ABOUT XENEX HEALTHCARE SERVICES
Xenex develops pulsed xenon UV disinfection systems for the advanced cleaning
of the patient environment in healthcare facilities. The Xenex system is the
fastest, safest, most portable and easy to use system available today among
room disinfection technologies. The Xenex mission is to significantly reduce
the number of HAIs that impact the health and lives of millions of patients and
their families and become the new standard method for disinfection in
healthcare facilities worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.xenex.com.
