Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
Role of the Microbial Burden
in the Acquisition and Control of Healthcare
Associated Infections: The Utility of Solid
Copper Surfaces
Michael G. Schmidt, Andrea L. Banks, and Cassandra D. Salgado
Contents
4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................... 61
4.2 Role of the Environment in Healthcare Infection ......................................... 62
4.2.1 Microbes in the Built Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.2.2 Transmission of Pathogens to Patients and Healthcare Workers . . . . . ............ 64
4.2.3 Contamination of Medical Equipment . . . .......................................... 66
4.2.4 Risk to Patient When Prior Room Occupant Colonized or Infected
with Epidemiologically Important Organisms ..................................... 66
4.3 No-Touch Disinfection Technologies ...................................................... 69
4.4 Antimicrobial Copper: A Continuously Active No-Touch Disinfection Solution
for Healthcare ............................................................................... 71
4.5 Postulated Mechanism of Action of Solid Metallic Cooper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.6 Use of Copper Surfaces in Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.7 Summary . ................................................................................... 77
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Abstract For more than a century, healthcare has been challenged to keep
environmental surfaces clean to control microbes and improve patient outcomes.
However despite an annual cost exceeding ten billion dollars cleaning with disin-
fection has done little to reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections
(HAI). This chapter will review the scientific evidence delineating the role that
the environment and healthcare workers play in the acquisition and movement of
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