BY THE DAILY PROGRESS STAFF
Posted on March 1, 2017 by The Daily Progress Staff - FULL ARTICLESentara Martha Jefferson Hospital will begin using copper-infused items as a means to help safeguard against the most common types of infections.
Starting in April, the hospital will begin using copper-infused patient gowns and bed linens. All patient rooms will be retrofitted with copper-infused bedside tables and handrails later this year, according to a statement.
The trial, published last July in the American Journal of Infection Control, took place during the renovation of a wing of Sentara Leigh, constructed during the 1970s.
Past studies have shown copper has antimicrobial properties and that dry copper surfaces kill scores of microorganisms on contact.
As a result of this latest study, Sentara has decided to begin using copper-infused products in all 12 of its facilities in North Carolina and Virginia.
