The long-awaited vaccines to ward off COVID-19 may be getting into people’s arms, but clinicians’ offices around the country are still asking, “are we doing all we can to keep our patient safe?” In addition to the current procedures of cleaning between patients with ultraviolet light or harmful chemicals, new technology is coming online to help answer that question.
In a recent study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the CASPR 1000 In-Duct disinfection technology eliminated 98% of SARS-CoV-2 viruses on surfaces within 6 hours, and 99.99% within 24 hours. The technology uses a natural catalytic converter to continuously deliver trace levels of hydrogen peroxide made by extracting oxygen and moisture from ambient air (Details at casprgroup.com).
CASPR’s technology is based on the photocatalytic oxidation process released by NASA in 1967 and improved by Christopher Suchy, PhD, for the healthcare industry. Suchy, CASPR’s President and Chief Technical Officer, was awarded the Innovation of Excellence from NASA in 2019 for his improvements on the technology, which is in use today in CASPR’s products. (CASPR stands for Continuous Air and Surface Pathogen Reduction.)
“Our natural disinfection technology is designed to reduce the microburden levels in any given space, while that space can still be used safely at its intended operating capacity with human occupancy,” Suchy said.
The technology, which recreates the same natural process that reduces outdoor pollution, provides an automated and continuous form of air and surface disinfection. This technology was developed specifically for the healthcare market to protect every patient, staff member, and their visitors from pathogens that can cause healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs).
