LAMb Request for Cage Washer

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The VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) requires the purchase of an Atlantis Easy Cage and Rack Washer System, manufactured by iwt-Techniplast (Westchester, PA, USA), to support its Research Animal Facility. The current cage washer is over 13 years old, and has required approximately 15 service and repair visits over the last six months. The Atlantis Easy Cage Washer is a robust system that is capable of processing most of the equipment and material used in the lab animal facility such as: cages, trolleys, tables, racks, IVC racks, and bottles, all in the same machine. The proposed new system is compact, user friendly, easy to maintain, and has a high level cleaning performance. The standard microbiologically validated wash cycle can be completed in less than 10 minutes, giving it a capacity of up to 600 rodent cages/hour. It has 10 programmable washing cycles for multiple uses. The unit features a stainless steel washing chamber with two double-layer clear glass doors, as well as inflatable gaskets for water and air tightness. The machine features 120° oscillating arms fitted all along the side walls of the chamber, 48 wash nozzles, and 48 rinse nozzles; which assure a constant and consistent coverage of the load. The nested wash and rinse arms with separate circuits avoid cross-contamination. The Animal facility at the VAHMCS is an Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Care (AAALAC)-accredited and occupies approximately 10,900 sq. ft. of space in the basement of the Baltimore VA Medical Center. The central wash area in animal facility is a major operational hub for the cleaning, sanitization, and sterilization of materials and equipment- entering, leaving, and re-circulating through the animal facility. Effective cage washing is an important aspect of an animal care and use program to control the possible spread of unwanted microorganisms. It supports ten to twenty funded VA animal protocols at any given time, with an average overnight census of 1000-1200 rodents. Current VA-funded projects address high- priority Veteran-centric research areas such as: pulmonary fibrosis, colon cancer, regenerative medicine, and gut mucosal healing and homeostasis.