Sustained Reduction of Microbial Burden on Common Hospital Surfaces through Introduction of Copper

Abstract

The contribution of environmental surface contamination with pathogenic organisms to the development of health care-associated infections (HAI) has not been well defined. The microbial burden (MB) associated with commonly touched surfaces in intensive care units (ICUs) was determined by sampling six objects in 16 rooms in ICUs in three hospitals over 43 months. At month 23, copper-alloy surfaces, with inherent antimicrobial properties, were installed onto six monitored objects in 8 of 16 rooms, and the effect that this application had on the intrinsic MB present on the six objects was assessed. Census continued in rooms with and without copper for an additional 21 months. In concert with routine infection control practices, the average MB found for the six objects assessed in the clinical environment during the preintervention phase was 28 times higher (6,985 CFU/ 100 cm 2 ; n ‫؍‬ 3,977 objects sampled) than levels proposed as benign immediately after terminal cleaning (<250 CFU/100 cm 2 ). During the intervention phase, the MB was found to be significantly lower for both the control and copper-surfaced objects. Copper was found to cause a significant (83%) reduction in the average MB found on the objects (465 CFU/100 cm 2 ; n ‫؍‬ 2714 objects) compared to the controls (2,674 CFU/100 cm 2 ; n ‫؍‬ 2,831 objects [P < 0.0001]). The introduction of copper surfaces to objects formerly covered with plastic, wood, stainless steel, and other materials found in the patient care environment significantly reduced the overall MB on a continuous basis, thereby providing a potentially safer environment for hospital patients, health care workers (HCWs), and visitors.

Controlling Hospital-Acquired Infection: Focus on the Role of the Environment and New Technologies for Decontamination

“…The two benchmarks appear to be related, in that higher levels of aerobic colonies on hand touch sites are more likely to be associated with the presence of S. aureus and MRSA (237). The standards have been used to systematically measure soil in several hospital studies but have not yet been validated for routine monitoring (42,133,242,243).…”

The antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of copper(II) complexes

“…wound dressings or as a material for common hospital surfaces [9,10]. In addition, copper incorporated in paints has also been shown to inhibit biofilm formation of bacteria and could thus be employed as an antifouling agent [11].…”

Disinfectant Use in the Hospital Environment for Microorganisms Control

“…It could also reduce the microbial load on surfaces of objects covered with this product and thus has great potential in decreasing hospital infections [18,25]. However, some factors establish and drive the adoption of protocols, such as cost, easy application and efficiency.…”

“…We also showed a disinfection process for specific microorganisms, where protocols aimed at minimizing or even eliminating bacteria such as Clostridium difficile [17,23], methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [17][18][19]25] vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus [17,22] of which are often associated with hospital infections, with increased environmental resistance, have a more reserved prognosis and a difficult treatment [2,3].…”

“…Schmidt et al [25] To characterize the microbial load (MC) associated with commonly touched objects, with and without copper in the intensive care unit (ICU), in order to understand the risk that CM can represent and the benefit that a perpetually active copper material can offer.…”