Proceedings Article | 15 February 2007
KEYWORDS: Ultraviolet radiation, Bacteria, Xenon, Light sources, Pathogens, Fiber optics, Endoscopes, Light, Endoscopy, Tissues
With the debut of antibiotic drug therapy, and as a result of its ease of use and general success in treating infection,
drugs have become the treatment of choice for most bacterial infections. However, the advent of multiple, very
aggressive drug-resistant bacteria, an increasing population which cannot tolerate drugs, and the high cost of drug
therapy suggest that a new modality for treating infections is needed. The complex interplay of clonal spread,
persistence, transfer of resistance elements and cell-to-cell interaction all contribute to the difficulty in developing drugs
to treat new antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
A dynamic non-drug system, using extant pulsed ultraviolet lightwave technology to kill infection, is being developed
to destroy pathogens. This paper theorizes that the shock effect of pulsed xenon's high energy ultraviolet pulses at
wavelengths between 250-270nm separates the bacteria's DNA bands, and, subsequently, destroys them. Preliminary
laboratory tests have demonstrated the ability of the technology to destroy Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa Escherichia coli, Helicobacter pylori, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella punemonia, Bacillus subtillis,
and Aspergillus fumigates at penetration depths of greater than 3mm in fluids with 100% effectiveness in less than five
seconds of exposure to pulsed xenon lightwaves.
Micro Invasive Technology, Inc is developing .pulsed xenon therapeutic catheters and endoscopic instruments for
internal antimicrobial eradication and topographical devices for prophylactic wound, burn and surgical entrance/exit
site sterilization. Pulsed Xenon light sources have a broad optical spectrum (190-1200nm), and can generate light
pulses with sufficient energy for combined imaging and therapeutic intervention by multiplexing a fiber optic pathway
into the body. In addition, Pulsed Xenon has proven ability to activate photo reactive dyes; share endoscopic
lightguides with lasers while, simultaneously, capturing high quality visual and activated video images.
