St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration results in intelligent, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among tales of hope, generosity and togetherness, Zap Zone Defender System the COVID-19 pandemic has additionally given rise to an incredible feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "Bug Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and different entrance-line organizations jumped to safe large portions of life-saving provides and private protective gear (PPE), there has also been the need to establish faster, more efficient methods to clean and Zap Zone Defender System sterilize those gadgets, particularly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, Zap Zone Defender MD, anticipated the necessity and an thought began to kind. "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, Defender by Zap Zone 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 perform that's a necessary a part of the well being care Zap Zone Defender System. "On any given day, we're processing many, many items right 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 must course of our employees’ PPE on a daily basis. For Dr. Roscher, a gentle went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing personal research about discovering ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and peer-reviewed literature prompt that, in a pandemic, UV-C mild may very well be an appropriate strategy to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a selected range of UV, or extremely-violet, light and has been proven to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by inflicting modifications in 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 in search of was a excessive-throughput sterilization system," mentioned Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces through a series of Zoom conferences and a whole lot of emails, to design, fabricate, install and take a look at the device - all within a matter of two weeks - and all whereas maintaining social distancing protocols.

The tip result: a approach to effectively and effectively sterilize 200 masks every eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in action. "Our current units weren't designed for giant-scale use. They might only 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 students and workers and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "Bug Zapper" not solely on account of its appearance, but resulting from its COVID-killing properties. "It is incredible that this project moved at such a speedy speed," remarks Dr. Tansu. The group ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. Actually, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput charge. "Our original design was cylindrical in shape, to make sure even exposure of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.

"Axel came to me and said, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And positive enough, insect zapper he was proper. A patent to guard the team’s intellectual design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to satisfy, in-individual, will be planned once it's protected to take action. Until then, the Bug Zapper shall be laborious at work, helping to protect the frontline workers at St. Luke’s and beyond. This, like so many different tales, presents a ray of hope through the pandemic - showcasing that the human mind and spirit can overcome something - particularly when working collectively for an ideal trigger. Afterall, because the well-known philosopher Plato understood thousands of years ago, necessity is the mom of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a totally integrated, regional, non-profit community of more than 15,000 employees offering providers at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual web revenue larger than $2 billion, the Network’s service space consists of 11 counties: Lehigh, Zap Zone Defender System Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Zap Zone Defender System Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.