Client & Alumni News

LifeAire Awaiting FDA Approval for Rapid and Complete Disinfection Unit for N95 Masks

Mask Decontamination Unit Builds on LifeAire’s Air Purification Technology

LifeAire Systems, LLC, Allentown, has applied to the US Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization for its portable, rapid, chemical-free decontamination unit for N95 masks. LifeAire, a client of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, is innovating against COVID-19.

The Aire~PPE Decontamination Unit’s proven kill capabilities enable healthcare workers to confidently recycle and reuse their N95 masks up to 20 times. The unit is designed to kill COVID-19 and all other bacteria, viruses, and fungi both on the surface and through all the layers of the mask. Masks are ready for safe and immediate use in fewer than four minutes, and users receive their own masks back after they are decontaminated.

The Aire~PPE is capable of disinfecting more than 8,500 masks per day per unit. With an N95 cost savings up to $1.5 million per month, per unit, the client investment in the unit is returned in less than one day.

The Aire~PPE unit is portable and can be used in a variety of critical areas that require PPE disinfection: triage areas;  emergency departments; operating rooms; medical and surgical intensive care units and wards; radiology;  long-term care facilities; physicians and dental offices; for first responders; and for any other user of N95 masks. The unit does not generate any infectious waste.

LifeAire Systems develops, manufactures, and commercializes revolutionary air purification systems for the healthcare industry. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the company applied its technology in developing the Aire~PPE Decontamination Unit to help address the pressing PPE N95 mask shortage.

LifeAire continues its primary work in air purification, and its air systems are capable of killing the COVID-19 virus. Originally designed for the highly sensitive In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) environment, the LifeAire air purification system removes pathogens and other contaminants from the air more effectively than any other system available. The system complements surface decontamination protocols, creating a healthier environment for patients and medical staff and enabling significant improvement in clinical outcomes and patient care.

In a large clinical trial of 8,255 patients recently completed with St Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN), those patient rooms protected by the LifeAire Systems’ technology demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in airborne and surface bacterial and fungal loading. The length of stay was reduced by 39.5% and there was an overall cost savings of 23% specific to the patients in the protected rooms over a 12-month period. SLUHN published on the impact of the technology on May 15, and it is installing a second unit at SLUHN’s Allentown campus.

The units have been deployed at more than 50 facilities, including healthcare leaders such as the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University Medical Center, Northwestern University Medical Center, University of Iowa Medical Center, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Wake Forest Medical Center, and others. LifeAire Systems holds 27 patents.

BFTP/NEP has funded LifeAire with eight business and technical grants, focusing on sales, marketing, and finance strategies, as well as invested a total of $200,000 in three rounds. Ben Franklin has also provided direct support and linked the firm to key Solutions Network advisors and connections.

LifeAire Systems is accepting orders to reserve placement for the Aire~PPE Decontamination Unit. Contact the company at www.lifeaire.com, or call 484.224.3042.