Highlights
- •Contamination of inanimate surfaces in the ICU can be a source of HAI-associated pathogens.
- •Selective isopropyl alcohol/organofunctional saline (ISO) solutions have been documented to reduce microbial contamination on inert high-touch inanimate surfaces.
- •A single application of a novel IOS resulted in persistent antimicrobial activity on inanimate ICU surfaces over a six-week study period.
Background
Cross-contamination from inanimate surfaces can play a significant role in intensive
care unit (ICU)-acquired colonization and infection. This study assessed an innovative
isopropyl alcohol/organofunctional silane solution (IOS) to reduce microbial contamination
on inert surfaces in a medical ICU.
Methods
Baseline adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence testing (ABT)-measurements (N = 200)
were obtained on designated inert ICU surfaces followed by IOS treatment. At 1 and
6 weeks, selective surfaces were randomized to either IOS-treated or nontreated controls
for comparison using ABT (N = 400) and RODAC colony counts (N = 400). An ABT value
of ≤45 relative light units (RLU) was designated as “clean,” whereas >45 was assessed
as “dirty.”
Results
Mean RLU baseline values ranged from 870.3 (computer keyboard) to 201.6 (bed table),
and 97.5% of surfaces were assessed as “dirty.” At 6 weeks, the mean RLU of surfaces
treated with IOS ranged from 31.7 (physician workstation) to 51.5 (telephone handpiece),
whereas values on comparative control surfaces were 717.3 and 643.7, respectively
(P < .001). Some 95.5% of RODAC cultures from IOS-treated sites at 6 weeks were negative,
whereas 90.5% of nontreated sites were culture-positive, yielding multiple isolates
including multidrug-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Conclusions
IOS-treated surfaces recorded significantly lower RLU and RODAC colony counts compared
with controls (P < .001). A single application of IOS resulted in a persistent antimicrobial activity
on inert ICU surfaces over the 6-week study interval.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to American Journal of Infection ControlAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- International study of the prevalence and outcome of infection in intensive care units.JAMA. 2009; 302: 2323-2329
- Bacterial contamination of inanimate surfaces and equipment in the intensive care unit.J Intensive Care. 2015; 3: 54
- Biofilm contamination of high-touched surfaces in intensive care units: epidemiology and potential impacts.Lett Appl Microbiol. 2019; 68: 269-276
- Cross-sectional point prevalence survey to study the environmental contamination of nosocomial pathogens in intensive care units under real-life conditions.J of Hosp Infect. 2018; 98: 90-95
- Manual of clinical microbiology.in: Jorgensen JH Pfaller MA Carroll KC Manual of clinical microbiology. 11th ed. ASM Press, Washington (DC)2015
Rutala WA, Weber DJ; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). Guideline for disinfection and sterilization in healthcare facilities, 2008. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/Disinfection/index.html. Accessed August 15, 2019.
- A shape adaptive, antibacterial-coating of immobilized quaternary-ammonium compounds tethered on hyperbranched polyurea and its mechanism of action.Adv Funct Mater. 2014; 24: 346-355
- Effects of quaternary ammonium silane coatings on mixed fungal and bacterial biofilms on tracheoesophageal shunt prostheses.Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006; 72: 3673-3677
- Evaluation of two organosilane products for sustained antimicrobial activity on high touch surfaces in patient rooms.Am J Infection Control. 2014; 42: 326-328
- Assessment of an innovative antimicrobial surface disinfectant in the operating room environment using adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence assay.Am J Infection Control. 2015; 43: 283-285
- Multisite evaluation of environmental cleanliness of high-touch surfaces in intensive care unit patient rooms.Am J Infect Control. 2018; 46: 1198-1200
- What orthopaedic operating room surfaces are contaminated with bioburden? A study using the ATP bioluminescence assay.Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2017; 475: 1819-1824
- Long-term efficacy of a self-disinfecting coating in an intensive care unit.Am J Infect Control. 2014; 42: 1178-1181
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: October 09, 2019
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.