M.G. Schmidt
Medical University of South Carolina,
United States
Keywords: antimicrobial copper, healthcare associated infections, linens
Summary:
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) pose a significant threat to patient safety, often linked to microbial contamination of frequently touched environmental surfaces, including linens. Building upon the established biocidal efficacy of copper surfaces, as demonstrated in clinical settings by Salgado, Schmidt, and colleagues (which showed a significant reduction in both microbial burden and HAI rates by up to 58%) here we report on a novel application of antimicrobial copper surfaces. Copper, in the form of cuprous oxide, when infused directly into a natural fiber, cotton, at the molecular level, results in a durable, long-lasting intervention that provides a continuously active, and passive antimicrobial activity offering long-lasting efficacy providing a likely reduced microbial burden on linens used within the built healthcare environment. As antimicrobial copper is a core-component of the fiber comprising the finished goods, the linens have an antimicrobial potency that serves to provide fabric durability, and breathability, while eliminating the risk of diminished antimicrobial performance over time. Previous attempts to augment healthcare linens required the use of synthetic fibers that effectively imprisoned the copper within the plastic-based fibers. By incorporating copper into cotton-based linens the natural fibers of the cotton can more easily facilitate the antimicrobial activity of the copper. The technical innovation of directly incorporating the antimicrobial copper within the fiber ensures a high surface to mass ratio that results in an enhanced likelihood of a microbe encountering the copper, thereby enabling real-time reductions to the environmental burden affiliated with the finished goods. Independent testing employing the AATCC test method 100, found that copper enhanced cotton linens resulted in a 99.8% bacterial elimination of Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia within 30 minutes. Such results far surpass the expected AATCC100 standard that anticipates elimination with 22-24 hours. Unlike solid surfaces, many fabrics claiming antimicrobial properties are often limited in their real-world applications. Previous attempts in developing antimicrobial linens often relied on coatings (CuO) or ionic exchange properties (Ag+) to facilitate the delivery of the antimicrobial activity. In the case of previous synthetic fibers employing copper oxide they required 40X more copper and 5 hours of contact to provide the same level of killing observed when using copper-cotton based fabrics. An unanticipated consequence of a lower intrinsic microbial burden affiliated with the linens could lead to less frequent and less aggressive washing. Given sufficient real-world evidence this may lead to significant cost savings in water, energy, and even a reduction in chemicals use to facilitate the disinfection of hospital linens. By reducing exposure to harsh washing conditions, the life span of the textiles might be extended thereby contributing to cost savings and reduced replacement frequency. In conclusion, the incorporation of antimicrobial copper spun into cotton yarn offers a novel, non-episodic, and passive strategy to bolster current infection prevention efforts. If proven effective, the widespread adoption of copper-enhanced textiles in clinical settings could represent a cost-effective and continuous defense mechanism, reducing environmental microbial burden and ultimately improving patient outcomes by mitigating the risk of HAIs.