Researchers at the three hospitals involved in the trial — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the Medical University of South Carolina and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, both in Charleston — replaced items including bed rails, overbed tray tables, nurse call buttons and IV poles with antimicrobial copper versions. The bacteria reduction rate on the copper surfaces was the same as is achieved by terminal cleaning, according to the release.
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Initial results of the study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, were presented at the World Health Organization’s 1st International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control. The results will be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for review and approval.
“Bacteria present on ICU room surfaces are probably responsible for up to 80 percent of patient infections, demonstrating how critical it is to keep hospitals clean,” said Dr. Michael Schmidt, professor and vice chairman of microbiology and immunology at MUSC, who presented the results at ICPIC, according to the release. “The copper objects used in the clinical trial lowered microbial levels and supplemented cleaning protocols.”
Read the news release from the International Copper Association about the study on antimicrobial copper.
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