Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care has implemented a robot that emits ultraviolet light to kill pathogens, including the Ebola virus.
The robot emits xenon — an inert gas —that kills microorganisms by entering their cell wall. The robot is capable of killing more than 20 different pathogens, including enterovirus, influenza, rhinovirus, methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus and Clostridium difficile.
Hospitals like the University of Missouri Health Care facilities use the robots in addition to traditional cleaning protocols. The disinfection process takes approximately 15 minutes and is mostly implemented in operating rooms, cardiac catheterization labs, procedure rooms or places where patients may be undergoing a procedure involving the lungs and intestines.
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