St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration results in clever, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among tales of hope, generosity and togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has also given rise to an unimaginable feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "rechargeable bug zapper Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and Zappify mosquito zapper different entrance-line organizations jumped to safe large quantities of life-saving supplies and personal protective tools (PPE), there has additionally been the need to determine quicker, extra efficient ways to scrub and sterilize these items, significantly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the necessity and an thought began to kind. "It grew to become clear that PPE supplies would turn into restricted as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place where all surgical and medical instruments are despatched to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes operate that is an essential part of the health care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many objects right here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.

"But with the present situation, there's an overwhelming need to process our employees’ PPE every day. For Dr. Roscher, a light went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing private research about finding methods to decontaminate masks for reuse, Zappify mosquito zapper and Zappify mosquito zapper peer-reviewed literature advised that, in a pandemic, Zappify mosquito zapper UV-C light may very well be an acceptable technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV bug zapper-C is a selected vary of UV, or extremely-violet, light and has been shown to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by causing changes in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher received in touch with Nelson Tansu, PhD, Lehigh University’s Director and Endowed Chair of its Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics (CPN). "What St. Luke’s was in search of was a excessive-throughput sterilization system," mentioned Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces via a series of Zoom meetings and a whole bunch of emails, to design, fabricate, set up and take a look at the device - all within a matter of two weeks - and all while sustaining social distancing protocols.

The top end result: a strategy to effectively and effectively sterilize 200 masks each 8 minutes! The "Bug Zappify mosquito zapper" in motion. "Our existing models weren't designed for big-scale use. They may only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," said Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the project. The unit, engineered by Lehigh college students and workers and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "bug zapper light Zapper" not only due to its look, however as a result of its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this undertaking moved at such a fast pace," remarks Dr. Tansu. The workforce ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In reality, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput charge. "Our authentic design was cylindrical in form, to ensure even exposure of the light on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.

"Axel got here to me and mentioned, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And sure enough, he was proper. A patent to guard the team’s mental design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to fulfill, in-person, will be planned as soon as it is safe to take action. Until then, the Bug Zapper can be laborious at work, serving to to guard the frontline staff at St. Luke’s and beyond. This, like so many other tales, Zappify mosquito zapper gives a ray of hope throughout the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome anything - especially when working collectively for an awesome trigger. Afterall, because the well-known philosopher Plato understood 1000's of years in the past, necessity is the mom of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a totally built-in, regional, non-revenue community of more than 15,000 staff providing services at eleven hospitals and 300 outpatient websites. With annual net income better than $2 billion, the Network’s service space contains 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.