About Us
Germitec® is committed to DESIGN the BEST innovations for Hospital Hygiene. Who are well known for inventing Ultraviolet Light High Level Disinfection (UV-C HLD) for reprocessing non-lumen medical devices.
Our UV-C products are designed for…
SPEED
SIMPLICITY
EFFICIENCY
ECO RESPONSIBILITY
PEACE OF MIND
YOU
Enabling medical staff to change clinical practice to be the BEST in reducing cross-infection risk, thus improving quality of patient care
Who are we ?
Founded in 2005, Germitec® is specialized in the High-Level Disinfection of ultrasound probes. It has developed the Antigermix® system which replaces chemistry with photons and thus constitutes a technological breakthrough. With its technology based on UV-C radiation, the Antigermix® E1 and the Hypernova Chronos are radically different systems that use state-of-the-art technology to meet all disinfection standards.
Mission:
Develop hospital hygiene systems that radically simplify the lives of healthcare professionals in terms of safety, time and responsibility.
Direction:
For more than 10 years Germitec® has worked on the development of its technological platform using UV-C for High-Level Disinfection, with several guidelines at the heart of its action:
One will – To manufacture a non-polluting machine allowing to carry out an effective high-level disinfection (HLD) fast, economical and without constraints of use.
A sense of listening – Germitec® comes from the GRED Group which founded and managed the French distribution of Fujifilm’s radiological imaging equipment until 2005, and which also founded and managed the Softway Medical group until 2017. Germitec® thus inherits a long history of proximity to professionals and healthcare establishments. We are aware of the difficulty and the magnitude of the work of health operators, so we are constantly listening to them to allow them to simplify their tasks.
A requirement – Germitec® is 13485, it submits its innovations to the highest levels of design, control and verification to offer professionals extremely reliable solutions. Germitec works in partnership with the largest laboratories and scientific centers in France, Germany, England, the USA and Japan.
Hypernova Chronos – Designed for the BEST:
FASTER – Chronos faster 90 seconds HLD cycle time, streamlines clinical workflows to drastically reduce time and costs
SIMPLER – Chronos system is fully automated with a ‘one button’ process, instead of requiring multiple steps to commence HLD. Additionally, digital tracking makes compliance with HLD easy and reduces operator error.
CLEANER – The only system proven to kill native human papillomavirus (HPV) both in vitro and in clinical use. Chronos’ chemical-free operation makes it ideal for POCUS
UV HLD brings other meaningful advantages:
- The speed and user friendliness, makes compliance with HLD easy.
- The absence of toxic chemical fumes and toxic by-products on the probes improves staff and patient safety
- Contrary to chemicals, UV-C HLD doesn’t build pathogen resistance – The very same phenomenon we see in antibiotic resistance today.1-2
- Eliminating litres of toxic chemicals per year and removes the need to purchase extra ultrasound transducers due to its quick reprocessing time. Makes it ideal for POCUS.
With patients, staff and the environment in mind, Germitec is offering a revolutionary solution for healthcare professionals who are having considerable difficulty in performing systematic HLD of non-lumen medical devices.
Germitec is proud to help the global environmental challenge by enabling healthcare professionals to replace chemicals & consumables by using UV-C HLD.
Expertise
For more than 10 years, Germitec has been leading the way in developing sustainable and eco-friendly UV-C High-Level Disinfection technologies for reprocessing non-lumen medical devices.
Germitec offers two medical disinfection devices:
- Antigermix® E1 (AE1), the solution for Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), ENT endoscopes
- Hypernova Chronos®, the solution for Transvaginal probes, Surface Probes and Transrectal Probes
Both methods offer major practical benefits:
- Extremely simple to install. All that is needed is an electrical connection.
- Easy to use – just one button press.
- Streamlines clinical workflows in disinfecting ultrasound probes between patients to maximise patient throughput, whilst maintaining the quality patient care.
- Automated verification system, continuously measure the UV-C dose to operate the disinfection cycle to ensure High Level Disinfection efficacy is achieved.
- The traceability system links the probe ID to the cycle data and parameters measured (temperature, UVC dose, etc.). All tracking data is stored in the device.
High standards
Germitec meets ISO 13485 highest standards and levels of verification in achieving a comprehensive quality management system for the design and manufacture of innovative medical devices. The company works with leading laboratories and scientific centers in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States.
Germitec has been recognised as an innovative company by the French Public Investment Bank (BPI). Germitec is part of BPI Excellence cluster and has been awarded the Seal of Excellence European Union funding for Research & Innovation. In 2019, Germitec launched the Hypernova Chronos® that replaces Antigermix AS1.
Literature review on the decontamination of Semi-Invasive Ultrasound Probes
Level of Evidence from a comprehensive literature review
A comprehensive literature review of published journal articles on the available methods of High Level Disinfection was conducted by the NHS Scotland and Health Protection Scotland. This paper compared available evidence for the use of ultraviolet light systems, Chemical automated devices and manual wipes for the decontamination of Semi-Critical probes. This covered specifically; semi-invasive probes (SIUPs) and non-invasive ultrasound probes in semi-critical procedures. 3
Levels of evidence
The following grades were given to the available evidence within the literature review using SIGN methodology.
- 1+ Well conducted meta analyses, systematic reviews of RCTs, or RCTs with a low risk of bias
- 2 Well conducted case control or cohort studies with a low risk of confounding, bias, or chance and a moderate probability that the relationship is causal
- 3 Non-analytic studies, e.g. case reports, case series
The evidence from the literature review shows:
- There is high level (1+ and level 2) published evidence to support the use of Ultra Violet light systems for decontamination of SIUPs
- There is low level published evidence (level 3) to support the use of automated chemical systems for decontamination of SIUPs
- There is low level published evidence (level 3) to support the use of a manual detergent/ disinfection/rinse (multi-wipe) system for decontamination of SIUPs
Public Health England Rapid Review Panel recommendation listing
The Rapid Review Panel (RRP) evaluates new and novel technology products to be consider for potential use in the NHS on the basis of scientific evidence to support claims of improved efficiency or efficacy of infection prevention and control (IPC) interventions to reduce healthcare associated infections (HCAIs).
The evaluated provides a recommendation level scores for the product from R1 to R7.
Germitec’s Antigermix (AS1) product scored a recommendation level of R2
R2 Basic research and development has been completed and the product may have potential value; the RRP recommends in use evaluations/trials to demonstrate improved efficiency or efficacy in improving infection and control to reduce healthcare associated infections are considered within an active NHS clinical setting
World-class technology
Our Mission
To develop sustainable hospital hygiene solutions which radically simplify the lives of healthcare professionals and give them peace of mind so that they can concentrate on their patients.
Russell, A.D.. (2000). Bacterial resistance to disinfectants: Present knowledge and future problems. The Journal of hospital infection. 43 Suppl. S57-68. 10.1016/S0195-6701(99)90066-X.
Society for General Microbiology. “Disinfectants Can Make Bacteria Resistant To Treatment.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 October 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081005203059.htm>.
Guideline Reference: NHSScotland Guidance for Decontamination of Semi-Critical Ultrasound Probes; Semi-invasive and Non-invasive Ultrasound Probes March 2016 (PDF, 1489KB)
Rutala WA, Weber DJ, Centers for Disease Control. Guideline for disinfection and sterilization in healthcare facilities, 2008. 2008. Centers for Disease Control (US).