Environmental Services

In the continual challenge faced by infection preventionists to drive down healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) rates, the impact of the environment as a reservoir of pathogens is becoming increasingly clear. It has been demonstrated that not only do pathogens shed by prior occupants of a room remain viable for prolonged periods, but that these present a significantly increased risk of infection to subsequent room occupants. While routine cleaning can reduce the microbiological burden in a patient room it does not always eliminate the presence of bacteria and hence risk of infection. Even where very stringent cleaning regimens are in place, it is a constant challenge to maintain high-quality cleaning in a room.

Modern medicine has advanced to the point that it seems almost unconscionable that certain preventable or treatable causes of illness and death still pose an enormous threat. Thomas Frieden, MD, director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has named six public health problems that he feels can be reduced. Healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) is one of the priorities identified by the CDC, along with smoking, AIDS, obesity/nutrition, teen pregnancy and auto injuries. There is no magic bullet that will stop hospital infections dead in their tracks, but it is a "winnable battle" as Frieden put it.

Although it is one of the most potent antimicrobials available, silver, in particular ionic silver, is safe. A naturally occurring element, silver has long been used as an antimicrobial; as early as 79 AD in Egypt it was used in long-term water storage, and in the 900s, Chinese emperors would only use silver eating utensils "to prevent poisoning."

While healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) can come from numerous causative agents and may be carried by numerous modes of transmission, attention should be paid to the role of environmental surfaces throughout the facility especially those surfaces commonly considered as germ "hot spots."

Spurred by the recently published methods for substituting the use of chlorine dioxide gas as a replacement for those using formaldehyde gas, an increasing number of individuals are moving in that direction. The question now arises as to how long the exposure time needs to be at various ClO2 concentrations to accomplish an equally effective decontamination.