The preliminary results of a clinical a clinical trial done on in US showed that antimicrobial copper surfaces in ICU (Intensive Care Units) can kill up to ninety-seven percent of bacteria which can cause hospital-acquired infections. There is also noticeable reduction in the risk of acquiring an infection by forty percent.
The fourth leading cause of death in heart disease, stroke and cancer, occurred due to HAIs (Hospital-acquired infections). The ballpark figures provided by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, showed that one in every twenty hospitalized patients acquires and HIA, resulting in loss of one lakh lives each year in US.
Replacing the most heavily infected touch surfaces in ICUs with antimicrobial copper will control bacteria growth and cut back on infection rates, explained research team from US and is supported by the study presented at the World Health Organization’s 1st International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC) in Geneva.
The reduction in bacteria rate by ninety-seven percent on antimicrobial copper surface is the similar to that is accomplished by a terminal cleaning, which is a process done after patient leaves a room. Bacteria present on ICU room surfaces are possibly accountable for up to eighty percent of patient infections, explained Dr. Michael Schmidt.
The study exhibits how critical it is to keep hospital clean. The copper objects used in the clinical trial lowered microbial levels and supplemented cleaning protocols, stated Dr. Schmidt who is a professor and vice chairman of microbiology and immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina.