Placement of copper surfaces in the ICU can significantly reduce the rate of hospital acquired infections, according to a news release about a study in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
From July 12, 2010 to June 14, 2011, researchers randomly assigned patients at three participating hospitals to either a traditional hospital room, or a room where items such as bed rails, tables, IV poles and nurses' call buttons were made from copper-based metals. The rooms were cleaned using the same practices.
The researchers found that the proportion of patients assigned to a copper room who developed a HAI (3.4 percent) was significantly less than among those assigned to a traditional room (8.1 percent).
"Our study found that placement of items with copper surfaces into ICU rooms as an additional measure to routine infection control practices could reduce the risk of HAI as well as colonization with multidrug resistant microbes," said lead author Cassandra D. Salgado, MD, associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, in the release.
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From July 12, 2010 to June 14, 2011, researchers randomly assigned patients at three participating hospitals to either a traditional hospital room, or a room where items such as bed rails, tables, IV poles and nurses' call buttons were made from copper-based metals. The rooms were cleaned using the same practices.
The researchers found that the proportion of patients assigned to a copper room who developed a HAI (3.4 percent) was significantly less than among those assigned to a traditional room (8.1 percent).
"Our study found that placement of items with copper surfaces into ICU rooms as an additional measure to routine infection control practices could reduce the risk of HAI as well as colonization with multidrug resistant microbes," said lead author Cassandra D. Salgado, MD, associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, in the release.
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