The use of "engineering controls" included the integration of NFCs into the IV access system both for needle safety and for the prevention of central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) (3-5). NFCs allow for the administration of IV fluids, medications and blood to indwelling venous or arterial catheters without the use of needles. NFCs are also used for the withdrawal of blood samples and for aspiration of blood to check the catheter for patency. While the introduction of NFCs greatly reduced the risk of needle-stick injuries for healthcare workers, their use has been associated with other complications such as an increase in catheter occlusions and CLABSIs (6-11). In response to the increase in CLABSI related to the use of NFCs, medical device companies began designing and developing lower-risk devices (12). Over the past 20 years, 4 categories of NFC designs have emerged (2, 13). While there is no regulatory body that recognizes the categories of NFC as being indicative of function or performance (13), NFCs are typically marketed as being "positive", "negative", "neutral" (6, 12-16) or pressure-activated anti-reflux (9, 13, 17). The characteristics of each category of NFC indicate the mechanism and action of the NFC upon connection/disconnection.

We present a straightforward, environmentally-benign, one-pot photochemical route to generate alloyed AgAu bimetallic nanoparticle decorated aminoclays in water at room temperature. The protocol uses no reducing agent (e.g., NaBH4) nor is photocatalyst required. These hybrid materials show excellent promise as dual catalysts/antibacterial agents.

BackgroundThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) report published in 2009 shows that there were about 16,000 cases of surgical site infection (SSI) following ~ 850,000 operative procedures making SSI one of the most predominant infection amongst nosocomial infections. Preoperative skin preparation is a standard procedure utilized to prevent SSIs thereby improving patient outcomes and controlling associated healthcare costs. Multiple techniques/ products have been used for pre-operative skin preparation, like 2 step scrubbing and painting, 2 step scrubbing and drying, and 1 step painting with a drying time. However, currently used products require strict, time consuming and labor-intensive protocols that involve repeated mechanical scrubbing. It can be speculated that a product requiring a more facile protocol will increase compliance, thus promoting a reduction in SSIs. Hence, the antimicrobial efficacy of a spray-on foaming formulation containing Betadine (povidone-iodine aerosol foam) that can be administered with minimum effort is compared to that of an existing formulation/technique (Wet Skin Scrub).MethodsIn vitro antimicrobial activities of (a) 5% Betadine delivered in aerosolized foam, (b) Wet Skin Scrub Prep Tray and (c) liquid Betadine are tested against three clinically representative microorganisms (S. aureus, S. epidermidis and P. aeruginosa,) on two surfaces (agar-gel on petri-dish and porcine skin). The log reduction/growth of the bacteria in each case is noted and ANOVA statistical analysis is used to establish the effectiveness of the antimicrobial agents, and compare their relative efficacies.ResultsWith agar gel as the substrate, no growth of bacteria is observed for all the three formulations. With porcine skin as the substrate, the spray-on foam’s performance was not statistically different from that of the Wet Skin Scrub Prep technique for the microorganisms tested.ConclusionsThe povidone-iodine aerosolized foam could potentially serve as a non-labor intensive antimicrobial agent for surgical site preparation.