The Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans has deployed germ-fighting robots reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections, according to an article on the Ochsner website.
The robots can destroy deadly pathogens and multi-drug resistant organisms by using pulsed xenon, an environmentally-friendly noble gas, to high-intensity ultraviolet (UV) light.
The UV light can quickly destroy infectious germs — including Clostridium difficile, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, norovirus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, influenza and the Ebola virus — in less than five minutes.
The devices are used in addition to the routine cleaning procedures that currently take place as an extra level of protection against infection.