Invented by Craig Grossman, Ingrida Grossman, Gavri Grossman, SRFC Bio Inc

The market for infection control methods and systems has witnessed significant growth in recent years, driven by the increasing need for effective solutions to combat the spread of infectious diseases. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the rising awareness about the importance of maintaining a clean and hygienic environment, the demand for infection control methods and systems is expected to continue to rise in the coming years. Infection control refers to the measures taken to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare settings, as well as in other public places such as schools, offices, and public transportation. These measures include hand hygiene, surface disinfection, proper waste management, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Infection control methods and systems play a crucial role in reducing the transmission of pathogens and protecting individuals from infections. One of the key factors driving the market for infection control methods and systems is the increasing prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), HAIs affect hundreds of millions of patients worldwide every year, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Infection control methods and systems help healthcare facilities in preventing and controlling HAIs, thereby improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. Another factor contributing to the market growth is the growing focus on patient safety and quality of care. Healthcare organizations are increasingly investing in infection control methods and systems to ensure a safe and clean environment for patients, visitors, and healthcare workers. This not only helps in preventing the spread of infections but also enhances the reputation of healthcare facilities and improves patient satisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the demand for infection control methods and systems. The highly contagious nature of the virus has highlighted the importance of effective infection control measures in preventing its transmission. As a result, there has been a surge in the adoption of hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and other infection control products. Additionally, the use of advanced technologies such as UV-C disinfection devices and air purification systems has gained traction in various settings, including hospitals, schools, and offices. The market for infection control methods and systems is highly competitive, with several players offering a wide range of products and solutions. Key market players include manufacturers of disinfectants, hand sanitizers, PPE, and cleaning equipment. These companies are constantly innovating and introducing new products to meet the evolving needs of healthcare facilities and other end-users. In conclusion, the market for infection control methods and systems is witnessing significant growth due to the increasing need for effective solutions to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the importance of infection control measures, leading to a surge in demand for products and solutions. With the growing focus on patient safety and quality of care, the market is expected to continue to expand in the coming years.

The SRFC Bio Inc invention works as follows

A method is described for controlling infection in a facility, such as a foodservice establishment or hospital. The method involves tagging assets and monitoring their location and pathogen contamination over time. It also includes analyzing data sets in order to identify critical control points of pathogen transmission. Finally, it coats each asset with a residual self sanitizing composition. The infection control method closes off pathogen transfer routes through the reduction or elimination of pathogen growth at critical control points.

Background for Infection Control Method and System

Nosocomial infection, hospital acquired infections “Nosocomial infections”, “hospital acquired infections” These infections are acquired by otherwise healthy patients when they receive medical treatment at a healthcare facility. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, HAIs are responsible for approximately 1.7 million infections each year and for 99,000 deaths.

Cross-contamination is a common cause of HAIs in hospitals. When an improperly sterilized device (e.g. an endoscope), or equipment (e.g. bedrails, x-ray machines, etc.) remains contaminated with pathogens, and is then placed in contact with a patient who otherwise would not be infected. While the cause of the problem may be clear, resolving it is not always easy. It would be impossible to know which equipment was contaminated without knowing what equipment it was. This means that countless pieces of medical equipment would have to be cleaned and sanitized at random and almost constantly. This would require a huge amount of resources and leave even less time to perform medical procedures. Even surfaces that are currently contaminated can be contaminated once again moments after cleaning. The whole process is futile.

The foodservice industry is not immune to disease. There is a program that identifies the areas of a food establishment where contamination may occur. HACCP is an acronym for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and it is a preventative system to ensure food safety. The program is structured and diligent, but it only identifies obvious ways to control bacteria, such as employee handwashing and strict separation of uncooked from cooked food before, during, and after preparation.

Despite the recent efforts to reduce the HAIs in the healthcare industry and the HACCP preventative pathogen control approach in the foodservice sector, both industries still need a method and system for identifying the pathogens in a facility. It is also important to identify the surfaces that are critical transfer points, according to actual pathogens and their transfer routes. “There is also a need for better methods to coat these surfaces, once they are identified as contaminated. This will eliminate pathogen transmission over time.

In various embodiments, an infection control method in a facility can be provided. The method can reduce healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), in hospitals and other facilities, by identifying the assets that are critical control points for the transfer of pathogens and treating them with a residual self sanitizing composition.

In general, the methods described herein are used for identifying and treating pathogen transfer in facilities. The method allows for (a) the detection and identification on assets, whether stationary or mobile, of various pathogens, (b), the tracking of asset and pathogen movements around the facility (c), the determination of which surfaces of assets are critical control points, based on counts of pathogens, genetic mutations, and/or movement routes of pathogens over time (d), and the coating of these surfaces with a self-sanitizing residual composition that inhibits the proliferation of organisms up to pathogenic levels. The present method of infection controls shuts down the pathogen transfer route by ensuring that no pathogens or only a small number of pathogens can live on critical control surfaces. These pathogens may then be transferred to other assets or to people where they could cause infection. In different embodiments, the treatment of assets that are classified as critical control point in a facility prevents the levels of bacteria on these assets from reaching levels of pathogenic transmission between routine cleaning. This method eliminates the requirement to treat randomly all surfaces of assets within a facility to reduce the spread of infection.

In various embodiments, a method for infection control is disclosed. The infection control technique may be applied in a healthcare facility, a food service establishment or hospital. The infection control method can be performed by an infection control system that is computer-based. The infection control method includes: (1) creating an asset record by computer for one or more assets in a facility, (2) tagging each asset by computer with a barcode tag or RFID tag, (3) obtaining a location by computer for each item, and (4) acquiring a measure of contamination by computer for each item; (5) acquiring the location by computer and the measure by computer as a set of first data, (6) obtaining a location by computer for each item after a prescribed time, and (7) obtaining a The lengths may be measured in minutes, hours or days. They may also be expressed as weeks, months or even 24 hour periods.

In various embodiments, the steps (6) and (8) can be repeated as often as needed to provide additional data sets for the analyzing stage (9).

In various embodiments, RFID tag inventory is performed by RFID readers located around the interior of the facility. The computer-based system can initiate this automated asset inventory.

In various embodiments, at the least one of obtaining by computer-based systems a first measurement of pathogen contaminants for each asset, and obtaining by computer-based systems a second measuring of pathogen contaminants for each after the passage of prescribed time, further comprises wiping a surface of an item with an environmental test swab, and counting CFUs on inoculated agar plates.

In various embodiments, the analyzing of the data sets by the computer-based systems to produce a report that includes a list identifying assets as critical control points also comprises classifying the asset as a control point critical if it meets a predetermined criteria. The predetermined criteria may include measurable pathogen contamination in the asset’s data for two consecutive sets, which indicates that the asset was not cleaned properly or may have never been cleaned. The predetermined criteria may include, in various aspects: movement of an asset from its initial location to another location in two successive sets of information and measurable pathogen contaminants in the second set of two consecutive data sets appearing on the previously cleaned asset at the new location.

In various embodiments, the obtaining of a second measurement of pathogen contamination by the computer-based systems after the passage of the prescribed time period also includes DNA or RNA sequences of pathogens. The DNA/RNA sequence may be performed using a DNA/RNA unit as part of an infection-control apparatus. The computer-based system uses DNA or RNA sequences of pathogens in various aspects to analyze the extent of mutations, the length of time the organism has existed, the distance it has traveled, and whether the pathogen was physically transferred from one asset to another.

The residual self-sanitizing composition may include at least one of a quaternary ammonium biocide/polymer complex, antimicrobial silver, an organosilane, such as 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl dimethyl octadecyl ammonium chloride, or combinations thereof. The residual self-sanitizing composition can include at least one of the following: a quaternary polymer/biocide complex, antimicrobial metal, an organosilane such as 3-(trimethoxysilyl), propyl dimethyloctadecylammonium chloride or combinations thereof.

In various embodiments, a computer-based system comprises: an asset-tagging unit, a spraying-unit; a power-supply unit; and a computer unit that contains a nontransitory computer-readable media encoded with instructions for controlling both the asset-tagging and spraying units to perform the infection-control method in the facility. The program instructions may also include RFID asset tracking and management software.

The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments in their best form. These exemplary embodiments have been described in enough detail for those who are skilled in the field to be able to practice the invention. However, other embodiments can be realized, and logical, chemical and mechanical changes can be made, without departing the spirit and scope the inventions. The detailed description is only for illustration purposes and does not limit the invention. The steps described in the method or procedure descriptions can be performed in any order, and not just the one shown. Any reference to singular also includes plural embodiments. Similarly, any reference referring to more than one step or component may include a single embodiment. Any reference to fixed, attached or similar may also include temporary, permanent, partial, complete and/or other attachment options. “Without contact” (or similar phrases), as well as “reduced contact or minimal contact”, may be used to describe any attachment option.

In various embodiments, the method of infection prevention according to the present disclosure includes:

(1) creating an asset record by computer-based systems for each of the assets in a facility.

(2) by computer-based system, tagging each asset with barcodes or RFID tags associated with each record of assets;

(3) Obtaining, by computer-based system a first location of each asset

(4) obtaining a first measurement of pathogen contamination by computer-based system for each asset

(5) Acquiring, by computer-based system the first location of each asset and a measure of its pathogen contamination as a set of first data;

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