Kentucky doctor integrates technology with cutting edge application
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — Elizabethtown Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr. James K. Hargan made safety protocols at his practice an overarching priority long before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Now, as businesses begin the practice of phased-reopening in Kentucky and across the country, Hargan is committed to adding additional measures to ensure everyone who enters his office and treatment rooms can do so with confidence in the knowledge the facility is clean and sanitary 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Prior to being notified of his reopening date, Hargan purchased five Bovie UV24 Continuous UV-C Air Purification Systems within the overhead lighting system and had them installed at his practice. And while UV-C technology has been around for decades, the ability to safely use it in occupied spaces is a recent game changer.
“Safety for our patients and staff has always been a top priority for the Oral and Facial Surgery Center of Kentucky and today that discussion of safety is more important than ever during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hargan said. “We wanted our patients to know that we’re going above and beyond the standard health guidelines for reopening our practice, which was permitted earlier this month.”
UV-C is a type of ultraviolet light, also known as Germicidal UV. It has the power to kill or incapacitate bacteria, mold, fungi, and viruses by destroying the DNA of dangerous pathogens. This is an extremely powerful technology to facilitate clean air because there are no known microorganisms immune to UV-C energy. Miniscule airborne droplets hold microorganisms that can transmit diseases such as measles, influenza and tuberculosis to humans. Germicidal UV light has a specific wavelength that breaks the DNA of these microorganisms and prohibits them from reproducing. Microorganisms that lack the ability to reproduce are consequently harmless. UV-C technology has a long-standing history of contributing to cleanliness in the medical industry and more recently, it is being offered in the consumer space to clean mobile phones.
“The issue with using UV light to disinfect the air before now, was exposing humans to it,” he said. “With this new application, the UV light is contained which ensures people aren’t exposed to the harmful rays. This system, coupled with our already stringent cleaning procedures, allows for a perpetual state of disinfection and superior hygiene practices throughout our clinic.”
According to leading indoor air quality expert and author of Hospital Airborne Infection Control, Dr. Wladyslaw Kowalski, the system delivers air of the highest purity, with disinfection rates approaching 100%. Targeted microorganisms include MRSA, VRE, Acinetobacter, Streptococcus species, Influenza, VZV, Pseudomonas, Clostridium difficile, and other causative agents of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).
Hargan hopes protective measures such as the use of UV-C Air Purification Systems will help to calm COVID-19-related anxiety and reassure citizens that going to their doctor and dentist appointments is safe and necessary.
“The sooner we collectively provide the safest environment possible for our patients and staff, the sooner I see our world and our economy resembling something similar to what we remember them being only three short months ago,” he added.
Kinetic Vet
While others may have balked, one Lexington company kept plowing through the COVID-19 challenges to release a new product as everything else was shutting down. They couldn’t wait because, as Kinetic Vet President Stuart Pierce, DVM said to me, “This could save lives.” Ironically, the pandemic is one reason the need was so great but also has made telling their story even harder. Yet, most businesses don’t have access to an antimicrobial surface treatment that is active for up to 90 days. That means Armour Guard RUT doesn’t just get rid of microbes once, as disinfectants do. Rather, it keeps on working between routine cleanings. Brothers and veterinarians Stuart and Scott Pierce, founders of Kinetic Vet, released Armour Guard RTU, a long-lasting surface treatment that’s EPA approved for bacteria, fungus, and algae just as the world was realizing the devastation of COVID-19. Their primary customers are veterinarians and others in the animal health market. This product was designed to use in animal surgery centers, clinics, horse stalls, transportation, and anywhere else contamination is a concern. It is also approved for corporate offices, airports, businesses, schools, assisted living facilities, and more. There is a lot of reliable, scientific information about quaternary ammonium products and their effectiveness against viruses. Silane quaternary ammonium compounds have been shown in several published articles to reduce human hospital-acquired infections. Many Si-Quats (as they are commonly called) are EPA approved for envelope viruses (such as COVID-19). It’s commonly known now that COVID-19 is relatively easy to kill, but earlier in the pandemic, if it wasn’t on the EPA list, no one was interested. With workforces greatly reduced nationally, it’s taken some time to get the product out to the distribution channels, but it’s now out there and the response is promising.Elite Graphics & Wildcat Shredding
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