A robot is the newest “staff member” at Passavant Area Hospital.
It might not be Rosie from The Jetsons, but Tru-D is definitely going to help the hospital be a lot cleaner. The full title is the Tru-D Smart UVC Disinfection Robot. The device will be used in operating room suites and other areas like isolation rooms to stop the spread of hospital-acquired infections.
Justin Falardeau, a spokesman for the company, explains Tru-D stands for Total Room Ultraviolet Disinfection.
“We are attacking any pathogens that might exist in the environment using UVC energy. UVC is a germicidal wavelength that’s going to kill anything left behind on surfaces. So, you’re looking at not only tops of surfaces, but shadowed areas as well,” Falardeau says.
“We’re addressing the critical need of making sure these pathogens do not cause problems for the next patient. We want these rooms as thoroughly disinfected as possible.”
It’s estimated it takes Tru-D about 20 to 25 minutes to clean up a room.
Passavant officials say the hospital had a “cluster” of a flu-like infection called C-Diff about four years ago, and that led to a change in how those cleanups take place.
Passavant follows the lead of Memorial Medical Center in Springfield in acquiring this technology. The device cost about $114,000.