INFECTION PREVENTION
All aboard the “stewardship” According to Lauren Cooper, Senior Manager, Scientific Affairs for BD IDS, “driving diagnostic stewardship is an integral part of BD’s overall antimicro- bial resistance (AMR) strategy and our extensive diagnostic capabilities—like the BD MAX—can help reduce the burden of drug-resistant infections through infec- tion prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship and surveillance. Antimicrobial stewardship is a key factor
in the battle against HAIs. Bacteria and viruses are often able to develop antimi- crobial resistance to standard treatments. To keep our assays current, we monitor different strains of MRSA that are becom- ing more prevalent, and we are always focused on keeping our assays up to date with emerging strains and emerging mechanisms of resistance. The data is pretty clear; molecular screening is, by far, superior in quickly identifying and, therefore, helping support faster clinical decisions to reduce surgical site infections.”
A glove above the rest The proper use of sterile gloves during surgery is one of the vital components of preventing SSIs. Headquartered in Katy, Texas, Isikel spe- cializes in the production of nitrile gloves. Bill Williams, Isikel’s VP of Operations for glove manufacturing, is well estab- lished as the company’s ‘glove expert.’ He is firm in his statements that Isikel’s commitment to ‘gold gloves’ (they are actually blue) is second to none. “One of the things that differentiates us from all our competitors is that we are bringing a wealth of glove making and PPE knowledge to the table. We have a particularly good proprietary formula- tion and dipping process. Our gloves provide maximum comfort with a very ergonomic feel, considering the dexterity that’s needed every day for nurses, and, it’s a powder free product. We have helped Houston hospitals and others maintain their supply levels. When other suppliers just were not getting them what they needed, we did. And, we have reinvested that philosophy into making sure that we are helping our customers maintain supply chain resiliency. We take pride in our American production and our glove design. We use a very lengthy leach- ing process to make sure that our glove is as non-allergenic as possible. Meaning that we go to great strides to make sure that we have the minimum number of accelera- tors and other chemicals that might have sensitivity issues.”
In addition, Isikel is one of the few com-
panies that are manufacturing normal saline in the continental US; saline flushes play a key role in infection prevention by keeping tubes clean and sterile.
Williams added, “we are also doing saline flushes. It is just saline in the syringe form. As far as preventing infection, saline flush goes a terrific way toward that.”
between patient care, creating gaps in acces- sibility for sanitizing devices. The CleanSlate Versa was designed to not only be more accessible with our wall- mount feature, but to enhance the overall user experience. We’ve added more features like a customizable HD display, long-last- ing bulbs, and a completely touchless model to help limit the spread of infections.” It is also developed to ensure the best efficacy and product safety. We’ve made significant changes in the engineering design to improve both UV performance and device intelligence in a compact form. Our goal here is to provide hospitals with a solution that not only sanitizes phones but ensures that they also get the data insight needed to help improve their infection pre- vention & control practices.”
At the APIC show in 2022, healthcare professionals reacted very positively to seeing the new product.
Dobbin continued, “many agreed that a wall-mounted option was great for their facility as it would now provide better access for staff to sanitize their phones. It was great to hear this from many of the attendees as it was exactly what we had designed the Versa for.”
Isikel gloves
Disinfection on a ‘cellular’ level The hygiene of our hospitals is, quite liter- ally, in our hands. And, it’s not just our hands, but what’s in our hands. Claire Dobbin is the Sr. Product Manager at CleanSlate. “It is known that 1 in 4 cell phones are contaminated with pathogenic bacteria in hospitals. It is an unfortunate fact that mobile devices are often forgotten and neglected to be properly sanitized; we even refer to them as the ‘third’ hand we never wash! This can pose a risk for cross- contamination between staff and patients.” CleanSlate is a company that has gone beyond wipes or solution, and into the world of UV to guarantee cleanliness. The company’s latest development, the CleanSlate UV Versa, is an advanced UV sanitizer that conveniently fits into the work environments of hospitals and health- care facilities. Dobbin continued, “the idea (for Versa) originated due to high demand for UV solu- tions in healthcare, but, there was an issue with limited floor space available. We were able to penetrate the market with our other products into entrances, nurse’s stations, waiting rooms, etc. However, due to their large size, we were not able to deploy in high enough density to sanitize devices
24 September 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
Cleanslate Versa sanitation station
A wipe of a different color Kinnos is a company that is turning many heads in the disinfectant industry with their application of ‘color technology.’ Their tech- nological innovations revolve around the development of a colorizing additive for disinfectants known as Highlight, which is now being used by first responders, transit agencies, and several healthcare systems. Highlight colorizes the wipes hospitals already use so staff can confirm their sur- face coverage and learn that wiping tech- nique matters. The bright blue gives users instant visual confirmation of surface cover- age, and fades if the surface is clean. Where
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