By Healthcare Facilities Today

At St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Mich., infection control has taken a space-age step with the acquisition of two robots that eliminate pathogens in patient rooms, operating rooms and cardiac catheterization laboratories, according to an article on the Crain's Detroit Business website.

The machines use pulsed xenon ultraviolet light that is 25,000 times more powerful than the sun to destroy harmful microscopic invaders, according to the article. A sign is placed outside the room warning people not to enter while the robot is in operation. If someone enters, a motion sensor on the robot automatically shuts off the machine. The whole process takes about 15 minutes. Currently, some 30 patient rooms are cleaned using the robots.

"One of the basic requirements in running a hospital is keeping patients safe," Jack Weiner, CEO of St. Joseph Mercy said in the article. "With hospital-acquired infections and the risk of resistant bugs to antibiotics — all the things that make hospitals a scary place to be — we are taking additional steps to clean rooms and make it as safe as possible."

Read the article.