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The fight against the Covid-19 is also fought these days to the millimeter in every corner of the hospital centers by the cleaning teams. The coronavirus has been shown to have high transmission capacity and easy attachment to all kinds of materials invisibly. Its resistance complicates the work of disinfecting rooms in the midst of a health crisis.
One of the most innovative techniques in this particular battle against the virus is ultraviolet irradiation germicidal lamps (UVGI) . With this technology, both hospital rooms and operating rooms are free of the bug after it passes in a short period of time.
"They are very effective because they destroy both DNA and RNA, where the genetic programming of viruses and bacteria is. A total destruction in a short time that allows almost immediate access to the rooms," says the doctor of the University of Navarra, Francisco Guillén Grima, whose centers in Madrid and Pamplona apply this pioneering work technique.
It is a relatively new technology in Spain. With traditional space sterilization techniques, such as hydrogen peroxide and gas or steam bottles, patients must wait between one and three hours to access the room . While ASEPT-2x UV equipment allows entry in just over 10 minutes after the last patient leaves.
"We received them just now two years ago. The first time we used them was because an infectious patient had undergone surgery, but the operating room was urgently needed for a heart transplant. In these cases, they notify you when there is a possible donation and they will he must act immediately. We put in the two towers and in 20 minutes the operating room was operational, "adds Guillén Grima, who was also one of the 70 scientists who signed the manifesto sent in March to Pedro Sánchez requesting the population's confinement.
Manufactured by the Canadian firm Sanuvox , the teams have a height of 1.60 meters and a little more than 71 centimeters wide. Weighing just 45 kilos, it can be easily transported with its guide wheels throughout the hospital.
The only drawback that this equipment can have are the shadow areas that the UV lamp generates when it acts. To counteract this handicap, the technical staff locates the machine at various points in the rooms, thus avoiding any corner with viruses.
"One of the teams is made up of two towers that work simultaneously and each lamp is activated for five minutes. But now with the coronavirus issue we have gone up to six minutes to ensure disinfection as a total safety margin. With the coronavirus crisis too We have rented four more towers because we could not cope ", adds the specialist.
They are expensive equipment. As EL MUNDO has confirmed, they cost between 60,000 and 140,000 euros, depending on the characteristics of the model. Some manufacturers already offer versions that move autonomously around hospital facilities. However, the key to the equipment is in the software that registers the machine via Wi-Fi on the hospital server. They can offer different solutions for both services and health control.
"By burning the dust, there is also a certain smell that goes away quickly. If you want it not to smell like ozone, there are models that have filters, but the machine costs more," says Dr. Guillén Grima.
These teams, which in Spain are distributed by the technological company Alfatec Sistemas, are also present in the centers of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation in Madrid, of the QuirónSalud group, and in the general services company Eulen.
Utensil Lamp
The ultraviolet disinfection technique, with a small lamp, is also used in hospitals to clean germs in equipment commonly used by patients and in part of medical equipment. However, this team also does a special job de-sterilizing television remote controls.
"It is a team that is touched a lot by patients and companions. We now put them in the machine and they come out in a sealed bag. We also use them with thermometers, endoscopes, ... It is a new technique that will have a great future in Spain. "adds the doctor.
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