It was reported that hospital-acquired infections affect roughly 2 million Americans annually, and kill almost 100,000 patients. A recent article from the American Society for Microbiology discussed a new hospital bed that kills bacteria and will hopefully save lives. A new study found that copper hospital beds in Intensive Care Units on average harbored 95% less bacteria than traditional beds. Copper is known to repel and kill bacteria, but until recently they were not available commercially. It took some convincing to encourage bed manufacturers to create one that’s fully encapsulated in copper, but it ended up working out.
The result is a bed that yields improved patient outcomes, saved lives, and money saved. “The findings indicate that antimicrobial copper beds can assist infection control practitioners in their quest to keep healthcare surfaces hygienic between regular cleanings, thereby reducing the potential risk of transmitting bacteria associated with healthcare associated infections,” said Dr. Schmidt, a co-author of the study.
