Superbug-Slaying Robot TRU-D Arrives at Covenant and Sartori Medical Centers

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa is the latest to deploy TRU-D SmartUVC, a 5-foot-5 germ-killing ultraviolet robot equipped with the only infection prevention data collection and reporting software on the market. TRU-D is now in use at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo and Sartori Medical Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Short for Total Room Ultraviolet Disinfector, TRU-D is the only portable UV disinfection system with Sensor360 technology, which precisely measures reflected UVC emissions and automatically calculates the pathogen-lethal UV dose required for disinfecting health care environments. In addition to its ability to accurately scan and disinfect patient areas, the robot now can record and present this usage data through its cloud-based reporting software, iTRU-D. Results of TRU-D have been supported by multiple independent peer-reviewed studies conducted by leading authorities in infection control and epidemiology.

"As infection preventionists work tirelessly to stay ahead of the spread of the ever-evolving pathogens researchers are discovering, TRU-D remains the most effective way for health care institutions to eradicate all of these organisms from their facilities," says Chuck Dunn, president of TRU-D SmartUVC. "Now with the capability to report real-time infection prevention and control efforts, TRU-D has become an even more valuable asset to hospitals."

TRU-D allows hospitals to confidently clean their patient environments, from ICUs, patient rooms to surgery suites ? killing pathogens, such as influenza, norovirus, Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and other pathogens that compromise patient outcomes. Health care providers have traditionally relied on hand cleaning to disinfect a patient room after discharge. However, studies have shown this type of cleaning is only partially effective, potentially leaving dangerous pathogens behind to lurk. TRU-D goes beyond traditional cleaning methods and makes the health care environment safer for patients and employees.

"We know for certain that our rooms will be 99.99 percent disinfected between environmental services cleaning and operating this unit," says Randy Vorland, director of environmental services at Wheaton Iowa. "Covenant Medical Center and Sartori Medical Center are using TRU-D to combat hospital-acquired infections in patient rooms, operating rooms, labor and delivery units and the pediatrics play unit. The units are also very portable and can be deployed at our other facilities as needed."

After a hospital staff member cleans the room using traditional methods, TRU-D is rolled into the room to "finish the job." TRU-D 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, including shadowed spaces, 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 (both line-of-site and shadowed spaces) with the proper 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.

TRU-D SmartUVC is the device of choice for nearly all existing independent research on UV disinfection technology. More than 200 TRU-Ds have been deployed to disinfect hospitals across the U.S., Canada and Europe, including the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, S.C.; Houston Methodist in Houston, Texas; and National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa (WFH-Iowa) is a faith-based 511-bed; not-for-profit, comprehensive medical/surgical healthcare provider offering acute levels of medical care at Covenant Medical Center, Waterloo; Sartori Memorial Hospital, Cedar Falls and Mercy Hospital, Oelwein. In addition, WFH-Iowa includes Covenant Clinic (more than 130 primary care and specialty providers); Covenant Foundation, Sartori Health Care Foundation and Mercy Hospital Foundation. Areas of excellence include: cardiology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, maternity and NICU, cancer treatment, minimally invasive and Bariatric surgery.

Source: Lumalier Corporation