Typically, medical equipment is sterilized using pressurized steam or gas, both of which are unusable for medical devices with electronic components. The new cleaning method, developed by researchers from New York-based Weill Cornell Medicine, uses a cold plasma system that is safe for disinfecting electronics and requires only air, hydrogen peroxide and a power source.
Phones treated for five minutes using the technology reflected a 93 percent reduction in bacteria, according to the study. Devices that underwent a10-minute disinfection were completely bacteria-free.
The researchers are planning to test the device’s cold plasma disinfection technology on medical devices such as tablets, medical monitors, laptops and other hospital-based electronics. The device is currently available on a limited commercial basis in the U.S. and is pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
More articles on infection control:
Nurses — the closest thing to a silver bullet in boosting hand hygiene compliance
Remote patient monitoring has no significant impact on readmissions, mortality, study suggests
C. diff incidence may help predict length of stay for patients without C. diff
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