Study Finds Ionic Silver Treatment Decreases Staph aureus Contamination of Hospital Linens

A peer-reviewed study titled "Reduction in bacterial contamination of hospital textiles by a novel silver based laundry treatment" was published in the September issue of  the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC). The study's authors looked across three different community hospitals at the effectiveness of SilvaClean®, a new ionic silver antimicrobial applied to linens after each washing.

Addressing environmental cleanliness through textiles is a critical issue for hospitals. Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are potentially lethal for patients and pose significant financial risks for hospitals. According to a Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) report, hospital acquired HAIs kill nearly 200 people in the U.S. every day and affect 1 in 25 hospital patients. These numbers do not include infections acquired at skilled nursing, long-term acute care and outpatient surgery facilities. Published research shows that 60 percent of hospital staff uniforms were colonized with potentially pathogenic bacteria, including drug-resistant organisms such as the superbugs MRSA and CRE, and a separate published research paper shows 55 percent of clean bed linens were contaminated before contact with the patient. Contracting MRSA increases a patient's chance of acquiring a staph infection within the following 12 months.[1]
  
The AJIC study compares SilvaClean treated hospital sheets and patient gowns to untreated hospital sheets and patient gowns both before and after patient use. The authors found that treating sheets and gowns with SilvaClean resulted in decreases in microbial contamination before patient use of 88 percent and 89 percent respectively. SilvaClean was found to be persistent, reducing total bacterial counts by 30 percent on sheets and 45 percent on gowns after patients had used them. SilvaClean treatment of the textiles resulted in 100 percent decreases of Staphylococcus aureus on sheets and gowns before patient use and decreases after patient use of 74 percent on sheets and 89 percent on gowns.

"The data confirms that SilvaClean is a leading technology for hospitals to help rapidly establish the cleanest possible environment and confidently maintain it over time," said Bill Morris, co-founder and director of efficacy and chemistry at Applied Silver, the maker of SilvaClean. "A cleaner environment is the essential platform that allows hospitals to meet stringent performance targets and offer the comfortable, low risk bedside experience that patients now expect."

SilvaClean, developed by Applied Silver, Inc. in Silicon Valley, is a patented water-based ionic silver treatment that provides the highest level of protection against odor- and stain-causing bacteria in textiles. SilvaClean works on a wide range of fabric items by harnessing the power of silver ions to impart lasting antimicrobial properties to the linens each time they are laundered. This process inhibits the growth of odor- and stain-causing bacteria in textiles during transportation, storage, and use. These fabric items include multiple key patient and healthcare worker touch points such as patient bedding, gowns, bath towels, worker scrubs and privacy curtains.

Reference: 1. Donskey, C. (2016, May). Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare settings. Joint session at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Source: Applied Silver, Inc.