Economics of Using Biocidal Surfaces - Use of Biocidal Surfaces for Reduction of Healthcare Acquired Infections - page 180

The total cost of hospitalization in ICU is a multifactorial result and it is very
difficult to determine which factor is most important since exogenous factors can
cause fluctuations at it.
But today, under the present circumstances of the implementation of “ Diagnosis
related groups ”, in the attempt to estimate the total cost of operation of an ICU, we
must take for granted and in advance variables depended and independed.

Σ cost ¼ Σ K depended variables þ Σ K independed variables

The recording of consumption of antimicrobial drugs per day per patient (ddp),
in the two homogeneous groups of ICU patients, in two different time periods, is the
technique that we implemented in order to identify cost reduction in ICU patients'
treatment. The reduction of antimicrobial drugs consumption (ddp) is considered
as the best and most objective scientific approach related in direct proportion to the
statistical reduced microbial flora due to the implementation of antimicrobial
copper Cu + (63 % - Zn 37 %).
The preliminary pilot results showed reduction in the consumption of antimi-
crobials after Cu + implementation.
The average reduction reaches the percentage of 30 % (27.61 %) and is con-
sidered to be the most reliable indicator of antimicrobial copper Cu + effectiveness
in the ICU, as far as consumption of antimicrobials is concerned.
The difference in consumption of antimicrobials per patient per day is 7.28 ddp
(before) and 5.27 ddp (after) showing a decline of 27 % which is considered to be
statistically important. The prospect development of the study demonstrates that
all the above parameters associated with the ddp research are evolving and
strengthening.
Already the study period has reached, with data analysis, in timeouts of 9 months
where ddp continues to improve and demonstrates that ddp reduction exceeds
the percentage of 30 %.
Although the initial (pilot, 3 month period) analysis gave a difference of ddp by
27 % [7.28 ddp to 5.27 ddp] (with statistical importance p 0.014, 95 % level of

significance) the progress of the study (in a 9 month basis) demonstrates even
greater difference ddp by 31 % [8.11 ddp to 5.55 ddp] (with statistical importance of
p

¼

0.001, 99 % level of significance).
In this study, the reduction of microbial flora in objects and surfaces in the
specific ICU, due to the implementation of antimicrobial copper Cu+ influenced
the 'consumption' of antimicrobial drugs, reduced and continues to reduce it (!)
and it is statistically significant.
If one evaluates that after Cu+ implementation in the ICU rooms (where 75 % of
the objects and surfaces are replaced by antimicrobial copper Cu + ), but also take
into account the observed reduction of infections by 58 % as mentioned by
M. Schmidt et al. [ 17 ] comes to the conclusion that economic parameters, i.e. the
cost of operation of an ICU is reduced, with significant positive effects in the total
operational costs of a hospital, especially under the current economic crisis adding
further tribulation to our society.

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