Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains are a next generation in hospital curtains – using new patent-pending technology, Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains ensure that each curtain offers protection against bacteria (bacteriostatic & bactericidal) as well as spores (sporostatic & sporicdal) – a world first!

Traditional curtains have the potential to become sources of transmission for Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs). To counteract this in 2005, a disposable curtain that could offer antimicrobial protection was created. However, the major flaw with the antimicrobial system is that it is unable to have an effect against pathogens such as C.difficile spores, which can survive on surfaces for very long periods of time. This means that even antimicrobial curtains can have the potential to become a source of transmission of HAIs within the hospital.

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains are different to existing curtains on the market because they have been specifically designed to help break the chain of infection and help prevent the spread of HAIs in the hospital, by offering a safe to use, long-lasting and powerful curtain capable of killing bacteria, fungi and spores.

Using a patent-pending formula which is only available on Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains, the curtains become an effective barrier to the transmission of infections, by trapping and killing pathogens on the curtain surface in seconds!

Recent studies have shown that traditional hospital “curtains are rapidly contaminated with potentially pathogenic bacteria” and “curtains are a potentially important site of bacterial contamination in hospitals”¹.

On top of this, further studies show that pathogens such as MRSA, VRE and C.difficile spores are capable of surviving on surfaces for weeks, meaning that hospital workers can touch these contaminated surfaces and then transmit these pathogens onto patients².

Similarly, if a patient is infected and a healthcare worker touches the patient they could then possibly transmit this infection to an object/surface, such as a hospital curtain. If this happens, this object now has the potential to contaminate anyone who comes in contact with the surface. All of this means that traditional Hospital Curtains are a potential source for the spread of healthcare-associated pathogens³.

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains were specifically created to help hospitals reduce the potential for this pathogenic transmission to occur from Hospital Curtains and they are therefore effective against the top pathogen groups commonly found in hospitals worldwide:

• Spores
• Bacteria
• Fungi

At the curtain manufacturing stage the polypropylene curtain fabric is impregnated with a combination of our unique, patent-pending Endurocide® Sporicidal Curtain liquid and a flame retardant chemical.

The Endurocide® Spororidal Curtain liquid coats the fabric with a biostatic polymer layer, if pathogens come into contact with the fabric, the Endurocide® Sporicidal layer instantly starts working by trapping the pathogens on the fabric and preventing them from multiplying and being re-transmitted.

The Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains kill spores by piercing through their spore coats and cortex and then causing lethal DNA damage to the spore.

The Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains kill bacteria by first preventing their respiration, then disrupting their cell metabolism and then inhibiting the cell from reproducing.

We have found that there are numerous products on the market that claim to be antimicrobial, but do not define what this means and what exactly the product is capable of doing.

When comparing products, it is very important to understand how a hospital curtain works and how its effectiveness is tested and verified. It is also important to understand that there are different ways that an antimicrobial curtain can work i.e does the curtain simply trap the bacteria on the fabric, or does it actually kill the bacteria; or does it do both?

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains are independently tested and shown to not only trap the pathogens on the fabric, but to also kill them, meaning that the curtains are:

• Sporostatic & Bacteriostatic:

These terms refer to whether a curtain is capable of inhibiting the growth and reproduction of spores and bacteria. As our Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have been independently test and shown to be both Sporostatic and Baceteriostatic, our curtains will trap any spores and bacteria that come into contact with the curtain and prevent these pathogens from escaping and being re-transmitted to another surface o The International standards to demonstrate that a fabric is Sporostatic and Bacteriostatic are AATCC 147 & GC 147. These tests are qualitative tests, in that they evaluate the fabric’s antimicobiality.

• Sporicidal & Bactericidal:

This means that the curtain is capable of actually killing the spores and the bacteria on the surface of the curtain, preventing them from multiplying and becoming a source of transmission.

• The International Standards to demonstrate that a fabric is Sporicidal and Bactericidal are AATCC 100 and JIS Z 2801. These tests are quantitative tests, in that the number/reduction of bacteria on the curtain is counted.

Although we refer to the Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains as being primarily Sporicidal & Antimicrobial – it is important to understand that in order for the curtain to be truly effective, it must have been tested and shown to be both Sporostatic & Bacteriostatic as well as being Sporocidal & Bactericidal. Patent-pending Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains are the only curtains available on the market that can claim this!

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have been designed to be used wherever Infection Control & Infection Prevention is of paramount concern. We would recommend that Endurocide® Sporicidal Hopsital Curtains should be used in amongst others, Intensive Care Wards, High Dependency Units, Isolation Wards, Burn Units, Cardiology Wards, General Surgery Wards, Maternity Wards, Neonatal Wards and Orthopaedic Wards. Please refer to the table for more information.

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have been independently tested to the following tests:

• Sporostatic & Bacteriostatic:
• The International standards to demonstrate that a fabric is Sporostatic and Bacteriostatic are AATCC 147 & GC 147. These tests are qualitative tests, in that they evaluate the fabric’s antimicobiality.
• Sporicidal & Bactericidal:
• The International Standards to demonstrate that a fabric is Sporicidal and Bactericidal are AATCC 100 and JIS Z 2801. These tests are quantitative tests, in that the number/reduction of bacteria on the curtain is counted.

In addition to these tests, Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have been peer-review tested against Traditional Cotton Curtains in a busy ER ward.

To find out more information about the testing that Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have been through, please click here.

Studies have shown that up to 40% of HAIs can be attributed to the cross infection from the hands of health care personnel, who are contaminated either by direct contact with a patient or indirectly by touching contaminated surfaces.⁴. It has also been shown that contaminated hands can transfer viruses to 5 more surfaces⁵ or 14 other subjects⁶. On top of this, pathogens can survive on surfaces for long periods of time, with C.difficile spores and MRSA being shown to survive on surfaces for up to 5 months and 7 months respectively⁷. It is widely understood that hand hygiene protocols and surface disinfection procedures are essential in minimising the potential for this cross contamination.

However, what about the hospital curtain?  What procedures are there to minimise its potential for contamination? If a health care worker touches a contaminated surface and picks up the contamination, then touches a hospital curtain, they have the potential to contaminate the hospital curtain.  With some hospital curtains remaining in-situ for anywhere between one day to six months, these hospital curtains have the potential to become sources of transmission of infections for anyone who comes into contact with them.

Until now there was not much that you could do about this.  However Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have changed this! By being tested and proven to kill spores, bacteria and fungi, Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains offer an effective barrier to pathogens and help hospitals maintain their hand and surface hygiene protocols – by minimising the potential for the hospital curtain to become a source of infection!

Endurocide® Hospital Curtains are ready to work as soon as you take them out of the box and have been independently tested and shown to kill pathogens in seconds. To find out more information about the testing that Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have been through, please click here. [Links to request for curtain information]

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains are extremely durable. They have been independently tested and shown to still offer Sporicidal & Antimicrobial protection a year after manufacture. Therefore, we would recommend that unless visibly soiled an Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtain can effectively remain in-situ for up to a year. Nevertheless, each hospital may have its own specific protocols and assessments regarding the changing of curtains and these should be adhered to.

Yes, Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains meet International Fire Retardant Standards NFPA 701 and BS 5876 part 2 Type C 2008.

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains are made from 100% polypropylene which has a very low environmental impact when compared other types of synthetic or traditional materials. In addition, the liquid used to impregnate the curtains is water-based and contains no hazardous ingredients.

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains will fit most popular track systems.

We carry three standard colours, but other colours are available on request.

We would recommend that specific hospital protocols concerning the safe disposal of clinical waste should be adhered to.

Endurocide® Sporicidal Hospital Curtains have been registered for sale in the following countries. If you would like information on your nearest distributor, or you would like to become a distributor, please click here.

Sources:

1. Ohl, Michael; Schweizer, Marin; Graham, Maggie; Heilmann, Kristopher; Boyken, Linda; Diejema, Daniel “Hospital privacy curtains are frequently and rapidly contaminated with potentially pathogenic bacteria” American Journal of Infection Control (2012)
2. Boyce, John M “Environmental contamination makes an important contribution to hospital infection” Journal of Hospital Infection (2007) 65(S2) 50-54
3. Trillis III, Floyd; Eckstein, Elizabeth C; Budavich, Rachel; Pultz, Michael J; Donskey, Curtis J “Contamination of Hospital Curtains with Healthcare-Associated Pathogens” Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (November 2008) Vol. 29, No.11
4. Weber, David J; Rutala, William A; Miller, Melissa; Huslage, Kirk; Bennet-Sickbert, Emily “Role of hospital surfaces in the transmission of emerging health care-associated pathogens: Norovirus, Clostridium difficile, and Acinetobacter species” Am J Infect Control (2010) 38 S25-33
5. Barker, J; Vipond, IB; Bloomfield, SF “Effects of cleaning and disinfection in reducing the spread of norovirus contamination via environmental surfaces” Journal of Hospital Infection (2004) 58:42-44
6. Von Rheinbaben, F; Schunemann, S; Gross, T; Wolff, MH “Transmission of viruses via contact in a household setting: experiments using bacteriophage strain phiX!!74 as a model virus” Journal of Hospital Infection (2000) 46:61-66
7. Kramer, Axel; Schwebke, Ingeborg and Kampf, Günter “How long do nosocomial pathogens persist on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review” BMC Infectious Diseases (2006), 6:130