[Impact of copper in the reduction of hospital-acquired infections, mortality and antimicrobial costs in the Adult Intensive Care Unit].

UNLABELLED: We conducted a clinical trial to determine the impact of coating surfaces with copper in reducing hospital-acquired infections, mortality associated with nosocomial infections and antimicrobial costs in the UCI. The study took place at Carlos Van Buren Hospital, Valparaíso, Chile. No differences in the frequency of nosocomial infections were found. Not in rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (p = 0.9), nor in catheter- associated urinary tract infection (p = 0.9) or in central venous catheter associated bacteremia (p = 0.3). There were no differences in infection-free survival (p = 0.9). There were less costs of antimicrobials in patients in which copper was used. The fact that the sample size was not completed could explain that no significant differences in infections were found.

CONCLUSION

The use of copper as a surface in the ICU showed no statistically significant differences in rates of nosocomial infections during the study period, however, these results could be related to the sample size.