A new automated disinfectant system for health care facilities that removes the need for disinfectant wipes and provides a more cost-effective and safe approach to device maintenance was recently approved for commercial distribution by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The AURA system, created by Sterifre Medical, Inc, aims to eliminate the presence of contagious pathogens, including COVID-19, through the application of hydrogen peroxide and activated oxygen, a news release from Sterifre Medical said.
“Our mission has always been to make healthcare safer,” Mike Goonewardene, chief commercial officer at Sterifre, said in the release. “Our first-of-its-kind AURA system was designed to address many of the challenges that healthcare facilities face today. Sterifre is committed to putting fully validated, approved, state-of-the-art tools in the hands of healthcare workers.”
The device can be plugged in anywhere an outlet is available and takes up the same amount of space as a laptop computer, the release said. In addition to eliminating the need for manual disinfection, the device also reduces the amount of time needed for the process. It also protects health care workers, who face an increased risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) due to current chemical exposure, a JAMA Network Openjournal article said according to the release.
“AURA is the first automated disinfection process that can be used on a host of medical equipment such as thermometers, glucometers, otoscopes, stethoscopes, oximeters, pads/sensors, cords/cables, doppler probes and many more,” Mark Golkowski, co-inventor, professor and Associate Dean at the University of Colorado Denver, said in the release.
The manual disinfection process normally requires an item to remain wet with disinfectant for five minutes to work properly, the release said. Studies show that 52% of workers in the health care field do not know these guidelines. The new system applies the solution automatically, completes disinfection much faster and leaves no remaining chemicals following completion.
“With increasing demands on our frontline healthcare workers, and concern for staff and patient safety, an automated, hands-free solution is needed," Sterifre CEO Richard Shea said in the release. “Even under normal circumstances, an enormous amount of medical equipment is manually disinfected multiple times each day using billions of chemical wipes. That time and environmental impact is real.”
Manual disinfection leads to more than 8 billion wipes, which are made of “non-biodegradable plastic fiber,” being discarded annually, the release said.
Sterifre is based in Kirkland, Washington, the epicenter of the United States' first COVID-19 outbreak, the release said. AURA is available for pre-order and delivery will begin this year.
