Copper bed rails have fewer contaminants, and remain clean longer, than plastic bed rails, according to a report by the Medical University of South Carolina.
The study of occupied patient beds in an intensive care unit found that plastic rails ‘re-contaminate within minutes of being cleaned’. The Copper Development Association said: “Copper rails have considerably lower amounts of bacteria present – likely a consequence of the continuous antimicrobial activity of the alloy.”
Researchers assessed the amount of bacteria before cleaning, 30 minutes after cleaning, and at two-hour intervals thereafter. While cleaning reduced the bacterial burden on both the plastic and copper bed rails, within six hours the bacterial burden on the plastic was almost the same as before it was cleaned. The amount of bacteria present on the copper bed rails, however, remained 90 per cent lower than the levels seen on the plastic rails.
The Copper Development Association added: “Studies have shown that the objects in closest proximity to patients have the highest levels of Staphylococcus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). These objects act as reservoirs on which pathogens can survive for extended periods, posing a risk to patients, healthcare workers, and visitors.
