Frye Regional Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint hospital, recently added Tru-D SmartUVC, a germ-eliminating UV disinfection robot, to its already robust checklist of disinfection routines aimed at ensuring patients have the highest quality, safest care possible.

“The acquisition of this technology is simply another way that we’re working to safeguard the well-being of every single patient who walks through our doors and protect the integrity of our health care environment,” said Gar Atchison, CEO of Frye Regional Medical Center. “Tru-D is the only UV disinfection system on the market that has undergone a randomized clinical trial conducted by Duke and funded by the CDC to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology. In fact, since the study’s completion, Duke has purchased 11 Tru-D machines for use at their facilities.”

Tru-D, which works by generating UV light energy that modifies the DNA or RNA structure of an infectious cell, is the only portable UV disinfection system on the market with Sensor360 technology. The device’s patented technology calculates the amount of UVC energy needed to disinfect an entire room while taking into account room variables – such as size, geometry, surface reflectivity and the amount and location of equipment in the room – and delivers a lethal dose from a single location, effectively eliminating lingering pathogens in the space. This technology, coupled with Tru-D’s high-efficiency germicidal lamps, kill deadly germs such as Ebola, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile (C. diff), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Norovirus and Enterovirus D68.

“Hospitals that provide an extra level of care by disinfecting rooms with Tru-D are taking a proactive step in ensuring patients and staff have a clean and germ-free environment,” said Chuck Dunn, president and CEO of Tru-D SmartUVC. “Proven by the CDC-funded Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room Disinfection study, Tru-D was clinically-validated to reduce HAIs by 30 percent when coupled with standard cleaning methods. Tru-D takes the guesswork out of previous protocols and ensures confidence in clinicians and patients alike.”

After a hospital staff member cleans the room using traditional methods, Tru-D is rolled in to complete the process. The robot is operated remotely and features iTru-D, an application that tracks infection control data and simultaneously uploads the information to the hospital’s web portal. Set up is quick and easy and does not require input of room measurements or covering of windows and vents. The system can disinfect an entire room from one location, eliminating the need to move it to multiple places in the room. Its patented Sensor360 technology analyzes the unique variables of the room and floods the space with the proper, lethal dose of UV light energy. Tru-D spends whatever time is necessary to confidently eliminate infectious germs from contaminated surfaces before shutting down and audibly notifying the operator that disinfection is complete.