Originally Published MPMN November 2004

INDUSTRY NEWS

Chlorine-Coated Bed Linens Ward Off Microbes

Analee Zelaya

Each year patients in U.S. hospitals will acquire two million infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And as that number continues growing, so do the costs to patients and healthcare facilities: Hospital infections kill 60,000 to 80,000 people a year, and more than $5 billion is added to U.S. healthcare costs as a direct result of nosocomial infections.

To curb the infectious pathogens, Medline Industries Inc. (Mundelein, IL; www.medline.com), a provider of textiles to the U.S. healthcare industry, has made available bed linens treated with HaloShield, a durable chlorine-based coating developed by Vanson HaloSource (Redmond, WA; www.vanson.com). “Sheets using this new technology may prove to be an important adjunct to a healthcare facility’s infection control practices,” says Dorothy Thompson, infection control coordinator for Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago.

HaloShield binds EPA-registered chlorine-based sanitizers to sheets and pillowcases, a technique that fosters an effective antimicrobial barrier for the lifetime of the bed linens. “It is well documented that soiled linens harbor microorganisms that can be transmitted to others,” says Gang Sun, PhD, a professor of textiles and clothing at the University of California, Davis, and a HaloShield developer. “In light of the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the use of HaloShield can be a major development in the battle against microbes that can spread infection.”

Copyright ©2004 Medical Product Manufacturing News