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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.
Although bleach is routinely used in her ORs, it requires 10 minutes of drying
time for adequate sporicidal effect, says Lou Ann Bruno-Murtha, DO, medical
director of infection prevention and division chief of infectious diseases for the
Cambridge (Mass.) Health Alliance. "UV light is able to penetrate spores that are
quite hardy," says Dr. Bruno-Martha. "If a surface is missed, or not wiped proper-
T
he St. Cloud (Minn.) Surgical Center has 2 major mile-
stones it can boast about — being the second-oldest
freestanding surgery center in the country and being
the first U.S. ASC to use a Xenex germ-zapping robot. Longevity's
nice, but a commitment to decontamination and patient safety
makes for a better story.
The 11-OR ASC had long been considering bringing a robot on
board to tamp down its already-low infection rates, but the
$100,000 price tag was tough to swallow and easy to pass on.
But then orthopedic surgeon Joe Nessler, MD, made the center
an offer it couldn't refuse: You invest in a germ-zapping robot and
I'll bring my total joint cases to you, he told them.
"We didn't have the laminar airflow he wanted," says Julie
Tonsager, RN, St. Cloud's operating room team leader. "A UV light
was another layer of protection for us."
The center purchased a robot and liked it (and used it) so much
that it bought another. They deploy a robot 3 separate times for
Dr. Nessler's total joint cases — in this order:
• they run 2 5-minute cycles before opening a total joint case
BEFORE EVERY TOTAL JOINT CASE
UV Robot Key to
Surgery Center Doing Total Joints
"Right before we
bring the patient into
the room and every-
thing's set up, we run
the UV light one last
time so that we have
complete sterilization
and disinfection of
the entire room."
— Joe Nessler, MD
(staff reposition the robot after the first cycle
so that all room surfaces are exposed to the
UV light);
• they run another 5-minute cycle after
