S21: Antimicrobial surfaces to reduce HAIs: Value propositions and reality check

The issue of Healthcare-Acquired Infections (HAIs) has been well documented in public, private and governmental sectors for several years.  As a result, tremendous gains have been made to understand how these infections occur and how to reduce the incidence rate of HAIs.  However, the rates of most HAIs continue to increase.  Current data indicate HAIs affect nearly 2 million patients every year in the USA, resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths, and add over 25 billion dollars in cost to the healthcare system.  Numerous studies have shown that microbes can survive and proliferate on both hard and soft surfaces in the healthcare environment.  With some medical devices such as catheters and wound dressings, results of clinical studies have revealed a clear link between colonization by microbes and an increased risk of infection.  In other cases, there are only empirical assumptions that inanimate surfaces can act as fomites, leading to cross-contamination and increased infection rates within a healthcare facility.  While compliance with hand washing and other behavioral practices are critical to reducing cross-contamination, there appear to be additional opportunities to reduce the spread of microbes using surfaces treated with antimicrobials like organic biocides, silver and copper.  This presentation will explore the important distinctions between medical devices and antimicrobially-treated articles with respect to regulatory approvals, claim language, and the ability to create a convincing argument through the supply chain that an antimicrobial treatment is beneficial.