Antimicrobials: Healthcare's Silver Bullet Against HAIs?

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Baxter Healthcare Corporation recently introduced its V-Link Luer-activated device (LAD) with VitalShield protective coating, the first needleless intravenous (IV) connector to contain an antimicrobial coating. The device has been shown to kill on average 99.9 percent or more of specific common pathogens known to cause catheter-related bloodstream infections, including MRSA, and testing has demonstrated antimicrobial effectiveness for more than a 96-hour period. V-Link is coated on both inner and outer surfaces with a proprietary silver-based technology called VitalShield, designed to help prevent microbial contamination and growth of pathogens in the device. The interior and exterior surfaces of the device are coated through a process that deposits silver nanoparticles that serve as reservoirs of bactericidal silver ions that are control-released when in contact with solution.