Introduction
In a first of its kind double-blind, placebo, crossover trial Cupron® Medical Textiles demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in HAI events, fever days, days of antibiotic usage and Daily Defined Dose of antibiotics in a long-term care ward of ventilator-dependent patients.
Trial Information
Methods:
We conducted a seven months’ (February 15-September 15, 2015) double-blind controlled crossover study, divided into 2 intervention periods of 3 months. The periods were separated by a 1-month washout period. All patients in two similar adjacent ventilator-dependent wards in a long-term care hospital were included in the study. During Period I, one ward received copper oxide impregnated linen, hospital patients’ clothes and towels, and the other ward received “control” untreated textiles; in Period III the ward that received the treated textiles received the “control” textiles and vice versa. During Period II both wards received usual hospital textiles. The textiles were color coded and all personnel were blinded to which were the treated or control textiles. The infection control measures were the same in both wards. ATI events, fever days, antibiotic treatment days and antibiotics defined daily dose (DDD) were recorded and calculated per 1000 hospitalization days (HD).
Results:
There were 29.19% (P=.002), 55.45% (P<.0001), 22.97% (P<.0001) and 29.22% (P<.001) relative reductions in the ATI events, fever days, antibiotic treatment days and DDD per 1000 HD, respectively, that occurred when using the copper impregnated textiles. In one ward there were 25.63% (P=.093), 49.15% (P<.0001), 17.93% (P=.003) and 18.42% (P<.001) and in the second ward 34.68% (P=.007), 65.08% (P<.0001), 30.30% (P<.0001) and 41.52%, relative reductions in ATI events, fever days, days of antibiotic administration, and DDD per 1000 HD, respectively, when using the treated compared with the untreated textiles.