Copper in hospitals reduces infections

CHARLESTON, S.C., July 15 (UPI) -- Using copper surfaces in intensive care unit rooms resulted a 97 percent reduction of bacteria that cause hospital-acquired infections, U.S. researchers found.

Dr. Michael Schmidt of the Medical University of South Carolina said the study involved three hospitals that replaced commonly touched items such as bed rails, overbed tray tables, nurse call buttons and IV poles, with copper versions.

"Bacteria present on intensive care unit room surfaces are probably responsible for 35 percent to 80 percent of patient infections, demonstrating how critical it is to keep hospitals clean," Schmidt says in a statement. "The copper objects used in the clinical trial lowered microbial levels and supplemented cleaning protocols."

The findings were presented at the World Health Organization's First International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control in Geneva.

Hospital-acquired infections kill an estimated 100,000 people and cost $45 billion annually in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated.