The efficacy of self-disinfecting bedrail covers in an intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Hospital surfaces are considered important vectors in the spread of nosocomial pathogens. This study evaluated microbial counts on novel antimicrobial bedrail covers over a 2-week period in a critical care environment.

METHODS: Disposable bedrail covers (Aionx Inc, Hershey, PA) made of a copper and silver polymer and capable of conducting an imperceptible surface potential, were installed in a case-control manner on a series of occupied intensive care unit beds. Seventeen bedrails were covered with the study bedrail surface, and 17 were left uncovered. Two hundred seventy-two microbial surface cultures were obtained from both study and control bedrails and analyzed for microbial growth by bacterial enumeration and speciation.

RESULTS: The bedrails covered with the study surface demonstrated >80% average decrease in colony forming units across the study period of 15 days.

CONCLUSIONS: These novel, detachable bedrail covers successfully demonstrated significant bacterial count reduction in an intensive care unit setting. This may have implications for acquisition of hospital-acquired infections.