In 2017, the World Health Organisation issued the statement declaring that, ‘Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development today’, and that is true. It absolutely is. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to be done about it, at least, that’s what Angel Guard believes.
Infection prevention is something that is taken with great caution in the construction of the Angel Guard clinical AI washbasins. After all, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, if that’s the case, then each unit is over a hundred kilograms worth of cure. In addition, if we can guarantee that the infection won’t occur in the first place, then it allows more time for stronger antibiotics to be developed to combat these bugs.
Biofilm build-up occurs far too frequently in traditional sink and trap set-ups, directly infecting water sources at not only the point of use, but at the waste outlet also. With the influx of Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) like legionella and pseudomonas aeruginosae, we need to make sure that we have the technology in place to flush it down the drain, and make sure it doesn’t stick there.
Each Angel Guard unit comes equipped with several biofilm sensors, not only at the point of use, but also in the waste outlets, ensuring that if any build-up were to occur, the units will be aware of it. This works well in tandem with the AI ‘Colony’ technology of the units, allowing them to communicate with each other and lock down entire areas if necessary, before being able to automatically chemically or thermally disinfect the units affected, again, if necessary.
As well as the other countermeasures that have been put in place, Angel Guard has teamed up with ProEconomy to install silver and copper ionisation at the point of use (which is optional), which has been proven to keep pathogen levels down where the risk is high.
These units are also able to react to persons contaminating their waste outlets with unwanted waste or liquids, and through the use of RFID tagging, can identify the person(s) responsible, allowing for re-training to take place to avoid future incidents, along with chemical disinfection.
The design of the washbasin is also integral to this idea of preventing infection. Angel Guard looked at many of the currently available washbasins and took note of how, despite claiming to be designed with ‘healthcare in mind’, these units were not appropriate for healthcare environments, as they had no countermeasures in place to reduce airborne pathogen propulsion. However, the cylindrical basin affixed to each unit reduces splashing dramatically, the tilt ensuring that water won’t crash against the waste outlet, and even when hands are within the water flow, the water won’t be spread from the unit. A number of studies have demonstrated how transmission of water droplets and aerosol can occur up to two metres from the washbasin, and potentially contaminate the surrounding clinical areas.[1]
Continuing from this idea of how correctly constructing a washbasin can drastically reduce infection, even when considering the placement of the spout inside the unit can help diminish the chance of retrograde contamination, as there is no outwardly placed spout for users to accidentally make contact when washing, which gives pathogens much less of a chance to spread.
In conclusion, it is demonstrably clear how even the design of a washbasin itself can be instrumental combatting the issues we face as an industry in these tumultuous times. For more information on Angel Guard’s radical new washbasin, you can visit our website or contact our team of solution architects for more information.
[1] Barker, J. and Jones, M. (2005), The potential spread of infection caused by aerosol contamination of surfaces after flushing a domestic toilet. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 99: 339-347. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2005.02610.x
Written by Kyle Wallace, Creative Marketing Specialist at Angel Guard, who was hired through the DWP run Kickstarter scheme.
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