Antimicrobials | additives feature
Specifying silver antimicrobials for medical devices
The global healthcare market faces many challenges. in particular, reversal of the rise in healthcare associated infections (HAis) has become a key focus, reaching to the highest levels of healthcare facilities management. while top-down edicts at a hospital to improve and
control infection rates enable procedural changes, medical device manufacturers are consistently evaluating and launching new devices that, on their own, can contribute towards the same end objective. devices that are associated with high infection rates include central venous catheters, urological catheters, wound dressing and endotracheal tubes. However, any device that may harbour bacteria on the surface can be enhanced by adding an embedded antimicrobial solution like ionic silver. Several applications lend themselves
well to embedded antimicrobial solutions. devices with high infection rates are the obvious target. However, devices that cross the skin barrier – invasive or in-body – are all subject to bacterial growth. Examples include iV catheters and external fixation pins, as well as reusable devices that are not terminally sterilized, including electronic devices and devices that protect high risk sites such as wound care. working continuously without intervention, embedded antimicrobials provide these devices with 24/7 protection against surface propagation.
Silver: a powerful element Silver has a long history of use in medical applications, starting in 1880 when crede’s prophylaxis was used to
www.compoundingworld.com
Lise Moloney of Sciessent examines the use of silver-based antimicrobials
in medical devices, providing guidance on design, regulatory approvals and processing
prevent eye infections in newborns due to exposure to pathogens during delivery. in the 1960s, silver was first introduced for use in wound management, while today its use extends to devices such as catheters, tubing, implants and scopes. As shown in Figure 1, silver is one of
the most powerful cations, requiring very small amounts to be effective. Silver is also “smart” enough to combat bacteria in three ways – starve, sterilize, and suffocate – thereby minimizing the risk of resistance. in fact, a recent study from denmark analyzing over 500 clinical and non-clinical
isolates that were exposed to silver in a wide range
of applications, including wound dressings, showed no development of silver resistant bacteria among the group (Jakobsen l, et al. Silver resistance: an alarming public health concern? int J Antimicrob Agents (2011)). Another reason why silver is so widely used and
accepted in healthcare applications is that it is equally effective against antibiotic resistant organisms, such as
February 2012 | compounding world 33 Above: This
Vygon Neuro- Cath Expert catheter
incorporates Agion
antimicrobial additives
Left: Agion antimicrobial protection is incorporated into Medegen’s MaxGuard posi- tive-displace- ment needle- less connector
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