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Revolutionary new pillow technology blocks viruses and other harmful pathogens

By: Staff Reporter

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center patients and the residents of the Schoellkopf Health Center will soon benefit from an enhanced level of safety thanks to the adoption of an innovative filtered pillow designed to protect patients and caregivers from bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.

Founded by Niagara University graduates Bill and Bob Purdy, Spry Therapeutics leverages its patented Pneumapure^® Filter Technology to create the Spry Pure PPE pillow. These comfortable pillows are encased in a filtered slip to provide the only waterproof and breathable barrier for soft surfaces. Combined with the use of hermetically sealed seams that eliminate the need for stitching, the filter technology prevents viruses, bacteria and other harmful pathogens from entering the pillow’s interior.

“COVID-19 has made everybody more sensitive to the dangers that viruses and other harmful microbes can present,” said Memorial Medical Center President & CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo. “Our patients are understandably concerned and certainly our front line workers deserve to be protected. We view employment of the Spry Pure pillow as an important supplement to our infectious disease prevention efforts.”

The Spry Pure PPE pillow is currently being used by more than four dozen hospital systems across the United States including some of the nation’s top Magnet hospitals. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center is the first in Western New York to employ this new technology.

“We have a thriving infection prevention program here at Memorial Medical Center,” said Rajinder Bajwa, MD, FIDSA, the head of Memorial’s infectious diseases division and a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “We are always looking and actively implementing infection prevention strategies to improve patient outcome. Our infection prevention team hopes that adding Spry Pure pillows will further bolster our infection prevention efforts.”

Locally, Niagara University recently became the first institution of higher learning to provide students with the germ-blocking pillow.

“Traditionally, people immediately think of face shields and medical gowns when they hear about PPE and more often than not, soft surfaces are overlooked as a serious threat to patients and caregivers,” said Spry Therapeutics co-founder Bob Purdy. “We’re excited to offer our PPE pillow as a proven solution to address soft surface contamination and applaud Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for taking this necessary step to protect patients and hospital staff.”

In addition to protecting patients from harmful pathogens, the use of Spry’s Pneumapure technology will save Memorial both time and money since the pillows can be wiped down and sanitized, eliminating the need to have them laundered.

“We strongly believe that patients should have the expectation that their head rests on a pillow with a core that has not been contaminated by a previous patient. We also believe that healthcare facilities have an obligation to protect their staff with necessary PPE whenever possible,” said Spry Therapeutics co-founder Bill Purdy. “By adopting our filtered PPE pillows, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center is taking an essential step toward eliminating pillows as vectors for contamination to protect patients and staff.”

ENHANCING SAFETY: Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s infection prevention team, from left, Amy Wojciechowski, PharmD, Mashal Salehy, MD, and Rajinder Bajwa, MD, FIDSA, discuss the features of the Spry Pure PPE pillow, an innovative filtered pillow designed to protect patients and caregivers from bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.