When a person needs medical attention for health-related concerns, the hospital is the first place he will probably think of going to. Unknown to many, hospital-acquired infections may manifest several hours after being admitted to the hospital. According to the National Library of Medicine, the risk of acquiring this infection depends on infection control practices in the hospital, the immune status of the patient, and the prevalence of different pathogens within the community.
Considering the role of the healthcare facility in spreading hospital-acquired infections, it is therefore important to ensure enhanced healthcare delivery for patients and improved care coordination among the interprofessional team.
A New Approach to Fighting Infections
Plastics are widely used in medical settings, including intravenous blood bags, medical packaging, and fluid storage. Despite the enhanced cleaning practices, microbial species can survive in these plastic products for long periods resulting in an increased risk of infection while the patient is in the hospital.
Since plastic is a widely used material in the healthcare industry, a group of researchers investigated the potential solution to kill bacteria that thrive in plastic devices. Pharmaceutical Science of Biological Medicines assistant professor Dr. Felicity de Cogan led a team from the University of Nottingham's School of Pharmacy that used chlorhexidine to coat a polymer known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Dentists commonly use chlorhexidine in treating mouth infections and for pre-surgical cleaning.
The coating effectively killed bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) within 30 minutes. The Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) special imaging technique also revealed that the microbes were not only killed, but the surfaces were still clear of the bacteria after 45 minutes. It was also effective against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Aside from it, the material does not spread into the environment or cause leaching when touched.
The researchers also discovered that this new material, a common disinfectant and antiseptic, can effectively be used as an antimicrobial coating on different plastic products. They hope their discovery can help solve the issue of antibiotic resistance and infections acquired in hospitals.
"Research has shown that contaminated surfaces, including plastic surfaces, can act as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes, encouraging the spread of antimicrobial resistance across bacterial species through horizontal gene transfer despite deep cleaning practices," said Dr. de Cogan. She also added that it is important to develop new technologies to avoid spreading the pathogens to vulnerable patients.
The researchers are also open to the possibility that this coating can be added to plastic materials during manufacture, and it can also be used as a spray.
Threat From Hospital-Acquired Infections
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least one in every 31 hospital patients acquired hospital-acquired infections daily. These infections can be associated with many devices employed in modern healthcare for medical procedures. The increasing incidence of these infections is commonly caused by pathogens resistant to antibiotics which can eventually lead to increased morbidity.
Hospital-acquired infections manifest in a variety of ways. These include catheter-associated urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, and hospital-acquired pneumonia. Some symptoms favor an infection, such as productive cough, abdominal pain, and dysuria.
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