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more area in a shorter amount of time.
"Reducing SSIs was a big focus for our organization," he says. "Our CEO had a
clinical background, so she was excited that the technology helps with our
infection control efforts."
Shooting for zero
More than a year has passed since Marin County General began using its
"R2Clean2" robot in its ORs. In that time, R2Clean2 — a nod to the droid
dreamed up by Star Wars creator George Lucas, whose Skywalker Ranch is
based in Marin County — has begun to prove its worth.
"We've always had a very reasonable infection rate, but we needed to do
something more dramatic," says Dr. Sklar. "Based on the literature, we're talking
about the potential for double-digit reductions [in infections] — and not just
10%, but 25%, 30%, even 80%."
Although whole-room disinfection is considered a proactive measure, Dr. Sklar
wouldn't be surprised if one day it becomes standard practice. He says, "I think
the current feeling is that if you really do operate correctly, and do the right thing
at the right time every single time, infections can be really rare."
How rare?
"It's not impossible to think we'll have nothing go wrong for years," he says.
"The whole point is to allow for essentially no chance of an infection. It could
happen, and that's the goal: shooting for zero and having everyone know it."
OSM