Medical Mist Could Fight Hospital-acquired Infections
August 3, 2018 | UC San DiegoEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
A team of engineers and physicians in San Diego have developed a device that diffuses potent disinfectants into the air. Notably, the device works on a range of disinfectants that have never been atomized before, such as Triethylene glycol, or TEG.
In a study published in the August issue of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, the team used the device to atomize disinfectants onto environmental surfaces contaminated with bacteria and showed that it effectively eliminated 100 percent of bacteria that commonly cause hospital-acquired infections. In addition, atomized bleach solution, ethanol and TEG completely eliminated highly multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria including K. pneumoniae.
“Cleaning and disinfecting environmental surfaces in healthcare facilities is a critical infection prevention and control practice,” said Dr. Monika Kumaraswamy, a physician scientist at the University of California San Diego, hospital epidemiologist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and corresponding author on the paper. “This device will make it much easier to keep hospital rooms clean.”
Researchers point out that one in 25 patients who checked into hospitals in 2011 (the last year for which data was available) had to prolong their stay because of healthcare-related infections developed within the hospital.
The technology has broader potential applications too. It could be used to deliver a whole new class of medicines to patients via inhalers.
“Our goal is to make injectable treatments inhalable,” said James Friend, a professor of mechanical engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and one of the paper’s authors.
Researchers built the device using off-the-shelf smartphone components that produce acoustic waves. In phones, these parts are used mainly to filter wireless cellular signals and identify and filter voice and data information.
In this study, researchers used the smartphone components to generate sound waves at extremely high frequencies—ranging from 100 million to 10 billion hertz — in order to create fluid capillary waves, which in turn emit droplets and generate mist. This process is called atomization.
Currently, fluids can be atomized by mechanical means like in perfume and cologne sprayers, or by using ultrasound. But these methods either don’t work well with viscous fluids, require too much power, or break down some of the fluids’ active ingredients. They also require expensive equipment.
The technology used in this paper doesn’t have these drawbacks. That’s because the smart phone components use Lithium Niobate, or LN, a material that produces more energy efficient and more reliable ultrasonic vibrations. As a result, the device can atomize even the most viscous fluids into a fine mist that can drift in the air for more than an hour.
An early version of the device.
The device was built by Friend’s research group and tested in the laboratory of Dr. Victor Nizet at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, in experiments led by Kumaraswamy.
Although the device worked well on pneumonia-causing bacteria and on various multi-drug resistant strains of other pathogens, atomized TEG did not eliminate MRSA, much to the researchers’ surprise. "People told us TEG kills everything," Friend said. "Well that's just not true: in atomized droplet form, it was not all that effective at doing away with MRSA."
Researchers are now working on building an updated prototype to use in a hospital setting, a process that they expect to take one or two years. The device also could be used in airports, airplanes and in public transportation during flu season, for example.
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and the Belmay Corporation.
Suggested Items
ZESTRON Academy Launches 2024 Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics Webinar Series
05/01/2024 | ZESTRONZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, proudly announces the launch of its highly anticipated webinar series on Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics, a webinar series on the latest innovations, cleaning, and corrosion challenges.
KYZEN Announces Exclusive Partnership with Manufacturers’ Representative Restronics Florida
04/25/2024 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally responsible cleaning chemistries, proudly announces its strategic partnership with Manufacturers’ Representative Restronics Florida. Just like KYZEN’s commitment to continuously improving precision cleaning, Restronics Florida serves as a consultative OEM sales representative organization dedicated to educating customers to enhance their processes and productivity.
KYZEN to Promote Pair of Stencil Cleaning Chemistries at SMTA Ciudad Jaurez Expo & Tech Forum
04/25/2024 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally friendly cleaning chemistries, will exhibit at the SMTA Ciudad Juarez Expo & Tech Forum, scheduled to take place Thursday, May 9, 2024 at the Injectronic Convention Center in Ciudad Jaurez, Chihuahua, Mexico. During the event the KYZEN Clean Team will focus on understencil cleaning products KYZEN E5631J and CYBERSOLV C8882.
KYZEN to Focus on AQUANOX A4618 at SMTA Wisconsin Expo & Tech Forum
04/22/2024 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally friendly cleaning chemistries, will exhibit at the SMTA Wisconsin Expo & Tech Forum, scheduled to take place Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at the Four Poins by Sheraton, Milwaukee Airport in Milwaukee, WI.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Innovative Products and Software from KYZEN
04/22/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOEditor Nolan Johnson meets with Tom Forsythe, VP of KYZEN, who discusses their latest products, including the AQUANOX A4618 water-based cleaning chemistry. KYZEN develops custom software designed for monitoring and documenting cleaning processes, and Forsyth underscores its labor-saving and defect-preventing features. The discussion concludes with a discussion of KYZEN's commitment to continuous improvement and the development of safer, greener products.