Effect of copper-coated surfaces on the bacterial burden in the intensive care unit

Background: Pathogen-contaminated surfaces are known to transmit Healthcare-Associated Infections in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Existing hospital-cleaning procedures alone are not enough to prevent the growth of microorganisms over time. Since copper alloy has inherent and continuous antibacterial properties, copper surfaces offer a solution to complement these procedures.Objectives: This study aimed to assess the antibacterial effects of copper-coated surfaces on the bacterial burden in the intensive care unit (ICU).Methods: This clinical controlled trial was conducted in a general ICU. The bacterial burden was measured on five surfaces that were coated with a copper alloy foil (purity 99.94%, 100-micron thickness) and five similar surfaces without the copper coating (n=60 each). The total bacterial burden and the colonization rate of Staphylococci, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and gram-negative bacilli were measured on different surfaces. The collected data were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact, Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.Results: The cumulative bacterial burden was lower on copper-coated surfaces than on control surfaces. The copper-coated surfaces were found to have a significantly (95.96%) lower mean bacterial burden (145.20 colony-forming units [CFU]/100 cm2, n=60 surfaces) than the control surfaces (3,598.74 CFU/100 cm2, n=60 surfaces; P<0.001).Conclusion: The results of this study showed that placing a copper coating on the surface of five common, highly touched objects in ICU rooms reduced the bacterial burden by 96%, as compared with control surfaces.