St. David’s South Austin Medical Center recently became the first hospital in Austin to use the Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot™ to enhance patient safety by disinfecting and eliminating hard-to-kill superbugs—such as multi-drug resistant organisms—in hard-to-clean places.

“This new, sophisticated technology allows St. David’s South Austin Medical Center to remain on the cutting edge of safety, and it underscores our commitment to patient care.”

“We are pleased to add another layer of protection to our already robust infection prevention protocols, allowing us to be even more proactive in protecting our patients,” Todd Steward, chief executive officer of St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, said. “This new, sophisticated technology allows St. David’s South Austin Medical Center to remain on the cutting edge of safety, and it underscores our commitment to patient care.”

The Xenex Full-Spectrum™UV room disinfection system works by pulsing xenon, an inert gas, at a high intensity in a xenon ultraviolet flashlamp. This produces ultraviolet C (UVC) light which penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus and spores. Their DNA is instantly fused so that they are unable to reproduce or mutate, effectively killing them on surfaces without contact or chemicals. The Xenex system is effective against the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C.diff), norovirus, influenza, the Ebola virus and staph bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

The portable Xenex system can disinfect a typical patient or procedure room in 5 to 10 minutes—faster than other automated cleaning and infection control methods, including mercury UV and hydrogen peroxide-based systems, which can take multiple hours to achieve the same level of disinfection. It can be used in any department and in any unit within a healthcare facility, including isolation rooms, operating rooms, general patient care rooms, contact precaution areas, emergency rooms, bathrooms and public spaces.

To disinfect a room after standard cleaning procedures, hospital staff roll the Xenex robot into the room, position it beside the bed, begin the automated sequence and then leave the room. A sign is placed outside the room warning people not to enter while the robot is in operation, and a motion sensor on the robot automatically shuts off the machine if anyone should enter. The process is then repeated on the other side of the bed and in the bathroom, for a total of 15 minutes.

The Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot has been tested and proven using independent lab verification on the most common, dangerous and difficult-to-treat microorganisms. Most importantly, the Xenex system has been credited with helping health care facilities across the U.S. reduce their infection rates significantly, and several hospitals have published their infection rate reduction studies in peer-reviewed journals.

St. David’s South Austin Medical Center

St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, located at 901 West Ben White Boulevard, is part of St. David’s HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized with a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence through innovation, improvement and visionary leadership—in 2014 and recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Truven Health Analytics in 2012. St. David's South Austin Medical Center is an acute care facility with 316 beds, offering a range of complex specialties and sub-specialties, including a comprehensive and nationally recognized cardiac program, full-service maternity and newborn care with Level I and II nurseries, a thriving 24-hour emergency department, and two full-service emergency centers in the communities of Bee Cave and Bastrop. The medical center recently completed a comprehensive, $72-million renovation and expansion project. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

Xenex Disinfection Services

Xenex's patented Full SpectrumTM pulsed xenon UV room disinfection system is used for the advanced disinfection of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. Xenex’s mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by eliminating the deadly microorganisms that cause hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). The company is backed by well-known investors that include Malin Corporation/BrandonPoint, Battery Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II and RK Ventures. For more information, visit Xenex.com.