Xenex Receives GSA Contract for Room Disinfection Systems to Prevent HAIs

Xenex Healthcare Services announces it has been awarded a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) contract, making it even easier for federal agencies (including Veterans Affairs hospital systems) to purchase Xenexs room disinfection systems. A certified green technology, Xenex offers a fast, safe and cost-effective method for the automated disinfection of healthcare facilities. The GSA Schedules program is the premier acquisition vehicle in government, enabling long-term, government-wide contracts with commercial companies.

Chetan Jinadatha, MD, MPH, with the Infectious Disease Division, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple, Texas, will present Evaluation of a Pulsed-Xenon Ultraviolet Room Disinfection Device for Impact on Contamination Levels of MRSA at IDWeek on Oct. 19, 2012.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, costing more than $30 billion each year. Evidence continues to mount that the hospital environment plays a critical role in the spread of HAIs, which are caused by deadly pathogens such as C. diff, MRSA, VRE and Acinetobacter. Hospital cleaning teams are not able to disinfect all the surfaces in patient rooms, with research showing that more than half of the surfaces remain untouched. Additionally, deadly superbugs are showing resistance to cleaning chemicals, making the pathogens even more difficult to remove and eliminate.

Because VA hospitals are committed to eliminating HAIs and creating a safer, more effective VA healthcare system, getting on the GSA was a top priority for Xenex. The Xenex device has been proven to reduce HAIs, and hospitals using our technology are experiencing fewer infections, says Morris Miller, CEO of Xenex. The VA healthcare system is also committed to the environment. Unlike our competitors, the Xenex room disinfection system uses xenon and is free of toxic mercury. We are faster, less expensive and dont harm the environment.

Xenexs portable room disinfection system uses pulsed xenon ultraviolet light to destroy viruses, bacteria and bacterial spores in the patient environment without contact or chemicals. Uniquely designed for ease of use and portability, a hospitals environmental services staff can operate the Xenex device without disrupting hospital operations or requiring the use of expensive chemicals. The Xenex system will disinfect over thirty (30) rooms per day, so hospitals use the system continuously to reduce contamination levels throughout their facilities.

Xenex devices are made in the U.S. and are certified green by Practice Greenhealth, making them friendlier to the environment than current housecleaning chemicals or UV devices using toxic mercury. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an Executive Order for federal agencies to become more protective of the environment in practices including the use of non-toxic or less toxic alternatives when possible where these products meet the performance requirements of the agency. Xenex is the only company to offer a xenon-based room disinfection product that is patented, tested, and proven to deliver a germicidal dose of UV-C light capable of killing C. diff in four minutes or less.

Xenex devices are already being utilized at several VA hospitals and achieving great results, said Mark Stibich, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Xenex. We recently conducted a study with the VA in Temple, Texas, which demonstrated that using our device to clean patient rooms was 23 percent faster than traditional cleaning and 16 times more effective at treating MRSA.

Xenex systems, currently in use by hospitals (including several VA facilities) throughout the U.S., have proven to be effective against a variety of the most dangerous superbugs, including Clostridium difficile endospores (C. diff), MRSA, VRE and Acinetobacter. Studies show the Xenex room disinfection system is consistently 20 times more effective than standard chemical cleaning practices, and a recent study performed at MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that the Xenex system was more effective than bleach in reducing C. diff. from patient rooms. Xenex customer Cooley Dickinson Hospital reported 67 percent lower C. diff rates and 100 percent lower C. diff deaths and colectomy rates since adoption of Xenexs room disinfection system in January 2011. Other customers reporting positive results from their usage of Xenexs room disinfection system include Houstons MD Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and Cone Health System in North Carolina, which reduced its number of MRSA infections 58 percent in 2011.

As a veteran, Im proud to work for a company whose mission is to prevent the suffering and deaths caused by HAIs. Xenex is committed to making our nations veterans safer, and by preventing deadly HAIs we are making a difference in our community, says Steven Sledge, a Xenex technician and retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant.