In the United States, HAIs result in 100,000 deaths annually
and add an estimated $45 billion to healthcare costs. HAIs often
contaminate items within hospital rooms, allowing bacteria to transfer
from patient to patient. Common microbes include methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
(VRE). While several strategies have been developed to decrease HAIs,
few have been clinically proven to reduce the spread of these
infections. The researchers tested the capability of copper surfaces to
reduce environmental contamination of these germs and thereby decrease
HAIs in patients. Copper surfaces have an inherent ability to
continuously kill environmental microbes on these surfaces.
The study was performed from July 12, 2010 to June 14, 2011 at three
medical centers including the Medical University of South Carolina,
the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Ralph H. Johnson
Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Patients who were admitted to the ICU
of these hospitals were randomly assigned to receive care in a
traditional patient room or in a room where items such as bed rails,
tables, IV poles, and nurse’s call buttons were made solely from
copper-based metals. Both traditional patient rooms and rooms with
copper surfaces at each institution were cleaned using the same
practices.
The proportion of patients who developed HAI and/or colonization
with MRSA or VRE was significantly lower among patients in rooms with
copper surfaces (7.1%) compared with patients in traditional rooms
(12.3%). The proportion of patients developing HAI was significantly
lower among those assigned to copper rooms (3.4%) compared with those
in traditional rooms (8.1%).
“Patients who suffer HAIs often stay in the hospital longer, incur
greater costs, and unfortunately suffer a greater likelihood of dying
while hospitalized,” said Cassandra D. Salgado, MD, Associate Professor
at the Medical University of South Carolina and lead author of the
study. “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.”
Previous attempts to reduce HAIs have required healthcare worker engagement or use of systems such as ultraviolet light, which may be limited because of regrowth of organisms after the intervention. In contrast, copper alloy surfaces offer a passive way to reduce burden, without staff intervention or involvement with outside providers.
This study was funded through a contract from the U.S. Army Materiel
Command, U.S. Department of Defense. One researcher is currently
employed by the Copper Development Association (CDA). CDA assisted in
the development and fabrication of the copper objects for this study.