CMC Adds New UVC Robot to its Disinfection Fleet

Second Tru-D increases ability to sterilize patient areas

Published 10/22/2020

Catholic Medical Center (CMC) recently added a second Tru-Dâ device, a germ-eliminating UVC disinfection robot, to help protect patients from serious hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). CMC acquired its first Tru-D in 2015 to disinfect rooms and decided to purchase a second as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tru-D works by generating UVC light energy that modifies the DNA or RNA structure of an infectious cell. It is the only portable UVC disinfection system on the market with patented Sensor360â technology. The device’s sensors calculate the amount of UVC energy needed to disinfect a room, measuring factors like size, shape, surface reflectivity and contents to deliver a UVC dose that effectively eliminates lingering pathogens in the space. This technology, coupled with Tru-D’s high-efficiency germicidal lamps, kills deadly germs such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) and VRE.

“The Tru-D provides peace of mind that when our staff clean a room—especially one that’s had a patient with  a serious illness – the room is a safe and healthy room for the next patient and the staff,” said Ross Taylor, director of environmental services for CMC. “Having two Tru-D machines at CMC allows us to be more efficient and effective in disinfecting rooms, especially in times like these.”

The CDC-funded Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room-Disinfection study is the first and only randomized clinical trial on UVC disinfection. The BETR-D study showed that Tru-D can reduce bioburden and epidemiologically-important pathogens by 94%, which has been shown to result in a 35% reduction in colonization and infections in hospital settings with 93% compliance of standard disinfection protocols.

“Hospitals that provide an extra level of care by disinfecting rooms with Tru-D are taking a proactive step in ensuring patients and staff have a clean and germ-free environment,” Chuck Dunn, president of Tru-D SmartUVC, said. “It takes the guesswork out of previous protocols and ensures confidence in clinicians and patients alike.”

After CMC’s Environmental Services staff clean certain rooms, Tru-D is rolled in to complete the disinfection process. The robot is operated by a remote control outside the room and features an application that tracks infection control data. Set up is quick and easy and does not require input of room measurements or covering of windows and vents. The robot can disinfect a room from one position, eliminating the need to move it to multiple places in the room. Once disinfection is complete, Tru-D notifies the operator via audio and/or text message that the process has finished, and Tru-D can be moved to the next room.

For more information, visit Tru-D.com.