Kenosha-based Kenall Manufacturing introduced on Friday Indigo-Clean, a light fixture that uses Continuous Environmental Disinfection technology to continuously kill harmful bacteria linked to hospital acquired infections (HAIs).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports around 1 in 25 hospital patients in the U.S. have at least one infection contracted in the health care setting. The CDC estimates HAIs cause at least 1.7 million illnesses and 99,000 deaths in acute care hospitals in the U.S. and add $35 to $45 billion in excess health care costs each year.
Kenall, which completed a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility just north of Chicago in late 2014, is poised to start commercial production of the technology immediately.
“Indigo-Clean represents a breakthrough in helping to reduce HAIs,” said Jim Hawkins, chief executive officer of Kenall. “It bolsters current disinfection efforts by infection preventionists and environmental services professionals in the fight against HAIs.”
The technology behind Indigo-Clean inactivates a wide range of micro-organisms that are known causes of HAIs, including MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), C.difficile and VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus).
The light operates continuously and requires no operator, kills bacteria in the air and on all surfaces, and complies with all internationally recognized standards for patient safety. Indigo-Clean was unveiled just before the annual meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) in Nashville.
Indigo-Clean is a light fixture manufactured through an exclusive licensing agreement with the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, which developed, proved and patented the technology.
