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BREAKTHROUGH
IN BUG
BATTLE
– HOSPITAL TRIAL SUCCESS SHOWS 50% REDUCTION
IN MRSA
An anti-bacterial cleaning agent recently confirmed as a killer of the
MRSA hospital superbug by the US Environment Protection Agency has now
completed a successful six-month study at a leading NHS hospital which
is widely regarded as the historic home of infection control.
Results from the independently supervised study using the patented
biocide developed by
AIM
-quoted
Byotrol plc at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary showed that treatment of the
high contact surfaces such as door handles, patient contact systems and
bed rails, accounting for a small percentage of the total surfaces in a
ward, resulted in a 75% reduction in MRSA throughout the ward where the
trial was conducted against the pre-trial condition of the ward.
And for several weeks of the study, MRSA was eliminated completely
within the ward.
Furthermore, the number of hospital
acquired cases of MRSA was seen to be 50% higher in the area of the ward
where a conventional disinfectant was used compared to that where
Byotrol was used. This was
achieved as a result of Byotrol’s residual action on surfaces against
micro-organisms even after it has dried.
The deployment of Byotrol technology did not require any special
equipment or extra resource and was incorporated into the hospital’s
existing cleaning routine.
The
study was staged in two ward areas with Vascular Surgery at Glasgow
Royal Infirmary which because of the nature of conditions and patients
treated had a potential for high incidence of MRSA infection. One of the
wards was cleaned with Byotrol and the other with existing cleaning
agents.
Glasgow Royal Infirmary is widely regarded as the historic home of
infection control and was the hospital where scientist and surgeon
Joseph Lister pioneered use of antiseptics and disinfectants more than
140 years ago.
From figures published by the UK National Audit
Office, it can be deduced that
England
has at least 60,000 cases of hospital-acquired Staphylococcal infections
a year, costing an estimated £200 million. Between 2003-4, the number
of recorded MRSA-related deaths in the
UK
rose 22%.
The
study was independently supervised by Professor Curtis Gemmell,
Professor of Bacterial Infection and Epidemiology at the
University
of
Glasgow
who worked closely with the hospital’s Vascular Surgery team.
Professor Gemmell is also a director of the Scottish Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Reference Laboratory and an advisor to Byotrol plc on the requirements
of the NHS, particularly on issues such as antibiotic resistant strains
of bacteria, hospital acquired infection and the epidemiology and
control of infection in healthcare.
The results of the study will be presented in full at the 6th
international conference of the Hospital Infection Society in the
Netherlands
on 16
October by Professor Gemmell to medical and infection control
professionals.
According to Byotrol’s Deputy
Chairman Stephen Falder, ““This independent study has demonstrated
the outstanding effectiveness of Byotrol in a working hospital
environment. Byotrol was used by the existing cleaning staff, with no
risk or disturbance to patients or healthcare professionals and with no
requirement for expensive equipment. The Directors believe that the
results of the study further pave the way for the Company to achieve
significant sales into the healthcare sector”
For
further information visit: www.byotrol.com
(19/10/06)
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