Understanding the durability and efficacy of antimicrobial copper surfaces in preventing infectious spread in medical facilities

了解抗菌铜表面在预防医疗设施中传染病传播方面的耐用性和功效

• 批准号: 554994-2020
• 负责人: Easton, Bradley
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: University of Ontario Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=705787
• 关键词: Understanding; durability; efficacy; antimicrobial; copper

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the public's awareness of the severe consequences from the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses. In addition to airborne droplets, COVID-19 can also be spread via common touch surfaces such as door handles, countertops railings, and bathroom fixtures. While hospitals have rigorous cleaning and disinfecting protocols in place, the current pandemic requires that these protocols be augmented with innovative and effective solutions that limit spread in between cleanings. The partnership between Ontario Tech University and Northumberland Hill Hospital (NHH) is focused on meeting this need. Specifically, NHH is keenly interested in deploying antimicrobial copper (Cu) coatings onto high-touch surfaces to limit virus spread in-between cleanings. However, there are durability concerns since Cu is more easily oxidized than stainless steel. It is currently unknown if these Cu surfaces can withstand the harsh chemicals and rigorous cleaning/disinfecting protocols mandated in hospitals. This could potentially lead to accelerated wear that reduce effectiveness and/or require frequent replacement. To address this key hospital need, our collaborative project is focused on evaluating the effectiveness of short-term and longer-term methods to deploy Cu surfaces into these environments. This will allow for the creation and deployment of the most effective and long-lasting Cu-based antimicrobial films. In addition, this project seeks to develop accelerated testing methods to independently verify the durability and efficacy of Cu surfaces in high-touch medical settings. At the completion of this project this new tool and subsequent knowledge that will be derived from it will enhances the capacity of NHH and other hospitals to test the durability and efficacy of these Cu surfaces. Our methods and finding will be highly valuable to the broader healthcare sector as well as essential infrastructure operators (e.g. powerplants), enabling them who will be able to employ an evidence-based methodology to decide if copper-based antimicrobial surfaces are robust enough for use in their operations.

COVID-19 大流行提高了公众对有害细菌和病毒传播造成的严重后果的认识。除了空气中的飞沫外，COVID-19 还可以通过常见的接触表面传播，例如门把手、台面栏杆和浴室固定装置。虽然医院制定了严格的清洁和消毒方案，但当前的大流行要求通过创新和有效的解决方案来增强这些方案，以限制清洁之间的传播。安大略理工大学和诺森伯兰山医院 (NHH) 之间的合作重点是满足这一需求。具体来说，NHH 对在高接触表面上部署抗菌铜 (Cu) 涂层非常感兴趣，以限制病毒在清洁过程中的传播。然而，由于铜比不锈钢更容易氧化，因此存在耐久性问题。目前尚不清楚这些铜表面是否能够承受医院规定的刺激性化学品和严格的清洁/消毒方案。这可能会导致加速磨损，从而降低效率和/或需要频繁更换。 为了满足医院的这一关键需求，我们的合作项目侧重于评估将铜表面部署到这些环境中的短期和长期方法的有效性。这将有助于创建和部署最有效、最持久的铜基抗菌薄膜。此外，该项目还寻求开发加速测试方法，以独立验证铜表面在高接触医疗环境中的耐用性和功效。该项目完成后，这一新工具以及从中获得的后续知识将增强 NHH 和其他医院测试这些铜表面的耐用性和功效的能力。我们的方法和发现对于更广泛的医疗保健部门以及重要的基础设施运营商（例如发电厂）来说非常有价值，使他们能够采用基于证据的方法来确定铜基抗菌表面是否足够坚固以供使用在他们的运营中。