Copper slashes risk of hospital infections
Monday, 04 July 2011, 20:57 IST
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Washington: Antimicrobial copper surfaces could be one way of minimizing hospital infections, since they rapidly kill bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. The latest trial, conducted at three US facilities - has shown that the use of antimicrobial copper surfaces in intensive care units cuts down risks of hospital infection by 40.4 percent. Antimicrobial copper touch surfaces on door knobs, railings and tray tables are made from copper alloys, such as brass and bronze, to prevent infections. These parts are often touched by people in hospitals and clinics, becoming sources of infection. Researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, the Medical University of South Carolina and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Centre, replaced bed rails, over bed tray tables, nurse call buttons and IV poles with antimicrobial copper versions, according to a Sloan Kettering statement. Data presented by trial leader Michael Schmidt, professor of microbiology and immunology at Sloan Kettering, demonstrated a 97 percent reduction in surface pathogens in rooms with copper surfaces. Schmidt said: "Bacteria present on ICU room surfaces are probably responsible for 35-80 percent of patient infections, demonstrating how critical it is to keep hospitals clean." "The copper objects used in the clinical trial supplemented cleaning protocols, lowered microbial levels, and resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the number of infections contracted by patients treated in those rooms," he said. "Extensive lab tests have demonstrated copper's antimicrobial efficacy against key organisms responsible for these infections, and clinical trials around the world are now reporting on its efficacy in busy, real-world environments," Schmidt concluded.
Source: IANS
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