Background: The hospital environment has got more attention as evidence as source for bacterial transmission and subsequent hospital-acquired infection increased. Regular cleaning and disinfection have been proposed to lower the risk of infection, in particular for gram-positive bacteria. Auto-disinfecting surfaces would allow to decrease survival of pathogens, while limiting resource to achieve a safe environment in patient rooms. Methods: A controlled trial to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of a polyvinyl chloride foil containing an integrated silver-based agent (containing silver ions 2%) on high-touch surfaces in patient rooms. Results: The overall log reduction of the mean values was 1.8 log10 CFU, the median 0.5 log10 CFU comparing bioburden of control vs antimicrobial foil (p < 0.01). Important pathogens were significantly less likely recovered from the foil, in particular enterococci. These effects were present even after 6 months of in-use. Conclusions: A foil containing an integrated silver-based agent applied to high-touch surfaces effectively results in lower recovery of important pathogens from such surfaces over a 6-month study period.
CITATION STYLE
Widmer, A. F., Kuster, S., Dangel, M., Jäger, S., & Frei, R. (2021). Long-term antimicrobial effectiveness of a silver-impregnated foil on high-touch hospital surfaces in patient rooms. Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-021-00956-1
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