Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Inactivation in a Simulated Hospital Room Using a Mobile and Autonomous Robot Emitting Ultraviolet-C Light

Lorca-Oró, Cristina; Vilà, Jordi; Pleguezuelos, Patrícia; Vergara‐Alert, Júlia; Rodón, Jordi; Majó, Natàlia; López, Sergio Luis González; Segalés, Joaquím; Saldaña-Buesa, Francesc; Visa-Boladeras, Maria; Veà-Baró, Andreu; Campistol, Josep M.; Abad, Xavier

doi:10.1093/infdis/jiab551

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Approximately 29% (2/7) of papers described the use of UV-C disinfectant robots within the ICU [ 41 , 42 ]. Choi et al [ 41 ] described a UV light-emitting diode robot (UVER-SR1, UVER Co) [ 41 ] with a freely rotating arm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of Robots in Critical Care: Systematic Review

Teng¹,

Ding²,

See³

2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background The recent focus on the critical setting, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted the need for minimizing contact-based care and increasing robotic use. Robotics is a rising field in the context of health care, and we sought to evaluate the use of robots in critical care settings. Objective Although robotic presence is prevalent in the surgical setting, its role in critical care has not been well established. We aimed to examine the uses and limitations of robots for patients who are critically ill. Methods This systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Library were searched from their inception to December 23, 2021. Included studies involved patients requiring critical care, both in intensive care units or high-dependency units, or settings that required critical care procedures (eg, intubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Randomized trials and observational studies were included. Results A total of 33 studies were included. The greatest application of robots in the intensive care unit was in the field of telepresence, whereby robots proved advantageous in providing a reduced response time, earlier intervention, and lower mortality rates. Challenges of telepresence included regulatory and financial barriers. In therapy and stroke rehabilitation, robots achieved superior clinical outcomes safely. Robotic use in patient evaluation and assessment was mainly through ultrasound evaluation, obtaining satisfactory to superior results with the added benefits of remote assessment, time savings, and increased efficiency. Robots in drug dispensing and delivery increased efficiency and generated cost savings. All the robots had technological limitations and hidden costs. Conclusions Overall, our results show that robotic use in critical care settings is a beneficial, effective, and well-received intervention that delivers significant benefits to patients, staff, and hospitals. Looking ahead, it is necessary to form strong ethical and legislative frameworks and overcome various regulatory and financial barriers. Trial Registration PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021234162; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=234162

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It could successfully disinfect ICU rooms. Another mobile UV-C robot (ASSUM, Assum Tech) [ 42 ] similarly demonstrated a 99.91% reduction in the SARS-CoV-2 load within a few minutes. Overall, the 2 robots worked to reduce the exposure of cleaning and health care personnel to contaminated surfaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Robots in Critical Care: Systematic Review

Teng¹,

Ding²,

See³

2022

J Med Internet Res

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“…The exploitation of UV‐C for SARS‐CoV‐2 inactivation has been studied intensively 62,66,68,69,95,100–104 . Although UV‐C is inclusive of wavelengths spanning 200–280 nm, it has been proposed that particular wavelengths may be more efficacious 104 .…”

Section: Irradiation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although UV‐C is inclusive of wavelengths spanning 200–280 nm, it has been proposed that particular wavelengths may be more efficacious 104 . Regardless, there is a dose‐responsiveness, and the time to sufficient viral inactivation is dependent on the environment, temperature, distance, and timing for exposure 102,103,105–112 . It is not apparent that any particular SARS‐CoV‐2 strain variant is more or less resistant 110 .…”

Section: Irradiation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…114,115 Modes of UV-C-based viral inactivation are left to the ingenuity of design, which includes disinfection chambers and robotics. 102,105,109,114 The mechanism of action of UV-C was more correlated with viral RNA effects than those on structural protein changes. 116 Using an animal model system, aerosol transmission could be interrupted with UV-C. 117 Other measures of virus aerosol inactivation confirm the latter.…”

Section: Uv Irradiationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disinfection and decontamination in the context of SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific data

Cimolai

2022

Journal of Medical Virology

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Given the high transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) as witnessed early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, concerns arose with the existing methods for virus disinfection and decontamination. The need for SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific data stimulated considerable research in this regard. Overall, SARS‐CoV‐2 is practically and equally susceptible to approaches for disinfection and decontamination that have been previously found for other human or animal coronaviruses. The latter have included techniques utilizing temperature modulation, pH extremes, irradiation, and chemical treatments. These physicochemical methods are a necessary adjunct to other prevention strategies, given the environmental and patient surface ubiquity of the virus. Classic studies of disinfection have also allowed for extrapolation to the eradication of the virus on human mucosal surfaces by some chemical means. Despite considerable laboratory study, practical field assessments are generally lacking and need to be encouraged to confirm the correlation of interventions with viral eradication and infection prevention. Transparency in the constitution and use of any method or chemical is also essential to furthering practical applications.

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