A simple heat treatment could rid hospital mattresses of antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as MRSA, says a UK company. But hospital microbiologists have questioned whether it would significantly reduce infection.
The method was originally developed to kill dust mites, which can cause allergies. Items are placed inside an oblong, silicone-coated nylon balloon and subjected to high temperatures and humidities.
Tests conducted by the Public Health Laboratory Service in Bristol have shown the technique can kill all MRSA, E.coli and other bacteria in furniture, says Don Pringle, director of Servicemaster, which owns the rights to the device.
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“At 60°C for 60 minutes, with a suitable level of humidity, all traces of the bacteria had gone,” he told 91av.
Hand-washing
MRSA (methycillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is just one of several potentially deadly superbugs that kill thousands of patients in UK hospitals every year. Staff currently use disinfectants to scrub down mattresses and other furnishings, to kill the bugs.
“But this does not guarantee you get every inch – whereas our technique would,” says Pringle. Servicemaster currently charges hotels about £#163;175 per room to treat beds and furnishings.
And it has not been shown that the transmission of superbugs through infected mattresses in hospitals is a significant problem, say microbiologists.
“Most MRSA contamination is by hand or air,” says Gary French at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital, London. “There is a concern that the cleanliness of hospitals is not what it was once. Perhaps we should be considering this, and increasing hand-washing, before we consider treating mattresses.”