Clece Selects Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots for Hospitals in Spain and Portugal

Xenex Disinfection Services today announced that Clece, Spain’s leading healthcare provider of cleaning, maintenance, catering and social services, has chosen Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots™ for room disinfection at hospitals in Spain and Portugal. Clece has deployed Xenex robots at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, where they will be used to supplement the hospital’s cleaning and disinfection procedures. Clece will also implement Xenex robots at Ramón y Cajal in Madrid.

Infections caused by superbugs like Clostridium difficile (C.diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a global problem and Xenex is a proven solution to destroy the deadly microorganisms before they can bring harm to patients and healthcare workers. Xenex’s germ fighting robots take cleaning and decontamination to the next level by using pulsed xenon, an environmentally-friendly inert gas, to create full spectrum, high intensity ultraviolet (UV) light that quickly destroys infectious germs. The robot destroys C.diff spores and other microorganisms in less than five minutes, and Xenex has peer reviewed, published outcome studies showing a greater than 50 percent decrease in C.diff, MRSA and multi-drug resistant organism (MDRO) infections when those hospitals used the Xenex robots to disinfect rooms.

“Xenex germ-zapping robots are already in use in nearly 300 hospitals in the United States, with infection rate reductions reported in several medical journals. We have been very diligent about our international expansion and ensuring that we find the right partners who share our passion for patient safety. We congratulate Clece for bringing this technology to Europe and we look forward to global deployment of our robots to stop the suffering caused by hospital acquired infections,” said Mike DelVacchio, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Xenex. “Xenex is ideal for use in hospitals worldwide as we have patented protocols for use in multi-bed wards. The robot’s speed enables it to disinfect areas and rooms quickly so it can be used throughout the entire facility, including multi-bed wards, to enhance patient and healthcare worker safety.”

The Xenex robot is designed for speed, effectiveness and ease of use, which allows Clece’s cleaning staff to operate the robot without disrupting hospital operations. With a proven five-minute disinfection cycle, the robot can disinfect 30-62 hospital rooms per day (according to Xenex customers), including patient rooms, operating rooms, equipment rooms, emergency rooms, intensive care units and public areas. Nearly 300 hospitals, Veterans Affairs, DoD, skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers and long-term acute care facilities in the U.S. use Xenex robots.

“The Xenex robots will complement our current methods of cleaning and disinfection of surfaces in hospitals. There are many UV disinfection technologies out there, but only Xenex doesn’t contain mercury bulbs and is proven and published in peer reviewed journals to work in the hospital environment and reduce infections. We will use the robots for the terminal room cleaning of patients infected or colonized with multi-drug resistant microorganisms, because those rooms pose the biggest threat to patient safety,” said José Luis Muñoz Garrid, Director de Hospitales de Clece. “Being able to provide hospitals with this proven technology is an example of Clece’s commitment to innovation and excellence in service. The Xenex robots are capable of destroying non-enveloped viruses in just minutes, so they will play a major role in our infectious disease outbreak protocols.”

According to Clece, the main advantages of Xenex’s robot are:

1. Provides a fast, safe and effective method of disinfection.

2. Preserves the health of healthcare workers and hospital employees by providing thorough disinfection of all surfaces.

3. Uniquely designed for ease of use and portability, Clece’s staff can operate the Xenex robot via an intuitive interface without interrupting the normal operation of the hospital. The robot’s quick five-minute disinfection cycles enable them to use it in many rooms per day.

4. Environmentally-friendly disinfection technology that uses no chemicals and does not contain toxic mercury. No safety or disposal issues associated with mercury bulbs.

The Only UV Disinfection Device Proven to Work in the Hospital Environment.

In the last four years there have been 10 peer reviewed studies published confirming the efficacy of the Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot in the healthcare environment, including three studies showing a decrease in C.diff, MRSA and/or MDRO infections in patients when the hospital utilized the Xenex robot for room disinfection. Xenex is the only UV disinfection provider that has hospital customers publishing infection reduction results in peer-reviewed journals, most with greater than 50 percent decreases in their HAI rates.

About Xenex Disinfection Services

Xenex's patented pulsed xenon Full Spectrum UV room disinfection system is used for the advanced disinfection of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. The Xenex mission is to eliminate harmful bacteria, viruses and spores that can cause hospital acquired infections in the patient environment, and to become the new standard method for disinfection in healthcare facilities worldwide. For more information, visit www.xenex.com.

About Clece

Clece is a multi-company leader in providing integrated services to companies. With nearly 70,000 employees and a presence throughout Spain, including 11,000 employees in Catalunya, Clece provides cleaning services, maintenance, energy, logistics, airport and social services and other professional services for all types of institutions and companies across all sectors.