By GREGORY ZELLER //Step right up: And meet the FlooRX, a UV-powered, IoT-enabled device designed to kill infectious pathogens that cling to footwear, brought to you by inventor Rachel Dombrowsky and her friends at MIDI Medical Product Development.
After 30 years in the healthcare business, Rachel Dombrowsky understands very well the dangers of hospital-acquired infections. Also, shoes kind of gross her out.
So Dombrowsky embarked on an ambitious 窶徭cience project,窶 literally on the ground floor: Floors are the most 窶忖nappreciated pool of pathogens窶 in a hospital environment, she noted, 窶徇ore contaminated than bedrails or even toilets窶 窶 and yet, little scientific progress has been made when it comes to stopping germs from attaching themselves to footwear and hitching rides from one area of a hospital to another.
The risks of HIA (which also stands for 窶徂ealthcare-associated infections窶) are familiar to Dombrowsky, president and CEO of the Oyster Bay Senior Campus, which maintains multiple assisted-living facilities catering to the elderly, the memory-impaired and other senior populations.
窶廬窶冦 very aware of the need to protect my residents in their environment, which is a congregant care environment, and to make sure that when one person comes down with something, it窶冱 not transferred to any other place in the building,窶 Dombrowsky told Innovate LI.
And yeah, there was that shoe thing.
窶廴y other inspiration was I always had an aversion to wearing my shoes in my home after wearing them in hospitals and assisted-living facilities and in the street,窶 she added. 窶廣nd I didn窶冲 like when other people [wore them in the house], but I didn窶冲 have much control over that.窶
Rachel Dombrowsky: Foot soldier.
Through her 2015 startup Harbor Innovations, an Oyster Bay-based medical-device company, Dombrowsky started tinkering. She focused immediately on ultraviolet light and primarily targeted C. diff 窶 Clostridium difficile, which according to the innovator is 窶徙ne of the hardest pathogens to kill, because it has a very hard shell 窶ｦ and it lasts about five months on a surface.窶
Her initial attempts 窶 combining UV lightbulbs insideﾂ casing that looked a bit like a bathroom scale, with angled louvers from an air-conditioner unit to keep the UV light out of her eyes 窶 weren窶冲 very stylish, but they did the trick.
窶廬t did kill C. diff,窶 Dombrowksy noted.
Now, with the help of one of Long Island窶冱 most innovative product-development specialists, Dombrowsky is preparing to introduce the world to FlooRX 窶 a next-generation, IoT-enabled, nickel-thin device capable of eradicating C. diff and a host of other footwear-focused pathogens, including e coli, MRSA and the fungal infection Candida auris.
Harbor Innovations partnered with Smithtown-based MIDI Medical Product Development on the sleek upgrade, which instead of full-size ultraviolet bulbs incorporates UV light-emitting diodes 窶 offering the same germicidal benefits, according to MIDI Principal Chris Montalbano, only in a wafer-thin design and with 窶徼he digital control you need to create a smart system.窶
窶廾thers in the industry are already using UV bulbs to kill these pathogens, but MIDI took it to the next level,窶 Montalbano said. 窶彝achel took the idea of using them to sanitize feet, and MIDI used our DevelopmentDNA process to understand the user community and search for unique technologies to apply in this unique way.
窶弩e now have unprecedented ability to easily insert this into architectural construction at hospitals, whether renovations or new (construction).窶
Chris Montalbano: Extra steps.
Not only does the LED upgrade eliminate 窶徼he spatial constraints of full-size bulbs窶 (meaning you can basically create a floor-based device that users must only step on), but it facilitated direct control of which UV diodes are activated and which aren窶冲 窶 窶徇itigating UV spillage,窶 Montalbano noted.
窶弋his product also has unprecedented Internet of Things connectivity,窶 he added. 窶廩ospitals not only want to kill infections on the feet, they want to know which critical-care facilities are complying and which aren窶冲.窶
The FlooRX, which has earned a U.S. patent for Harbor Innovation, has undergone numerous clinical trials 窶 spanning hospitals and assisted-living facilities, conducted by both Dombrowsky and MIDI 窶 and is now gearing up for its first mass-production run. More trials are planned, but already discussions are underway with 窶彗 medical-grade contract manufacturer,窶 according to Montalbano.
Partnering with MIDI was the best move Harbor Innovations could have made, according to Dombrosky, who said the FlooRX racing to market is 窶從othing like窶 what she cobbled together on her own.
窶廬 have never made as good a decision as when I came to MIDI,窶 the inventor said. 窶弩hen I walked into their office, I knew I was in the right hands at the right time.
窶廬t窶冱 really been a joy working with them, but now that we窶决e going into contract manufacturing I窶冦 actually a little sad,窶 Dombrowsky added. 窶廬t窶冱 time to let the baby go!窶
