Built-In Antimicrobial Agents for Healthcare Facilities

When you visualize a hospital or doctor’s office, you likely imagine a clean and sterile environment that manages germs and illnesses. While healthcare facilities are routinely cleaned and sterilized, pathogens still manage to silently spread and multiply on all types of surfaces. These pathogens and bacteria lead to healthcare associated infections (HAIs) that attribute to over 100,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. Microban® antimicrobial cleaners and antimicrobial agents have been specifically designed for healthcare facilities that treat catheters, dressings, and equipment and kill 99.9% of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Even after repeated contamination, these antimicrobial agents will fight against bacteria and germs.

Let’s explore some examples of antimicrobials that Microban uses to protect healthcare facilities from bacteria and decrease the probability of microbial growth.

Antimicrobial Agents for Catheter Product Protection

HAI’s in patients are often attributed to the use of catheters, such as Urinary Foley Catheters, because of the biofilm incrustation and propagation that happens during their use. As such, healthcare providers are being continuously challenged to make improvements in patient health while reducing the risk of infection.

Because of the increased interest in antimicrobial cleaners, agents, and coatings for healthcare facilities, the Microban product development team has carefully engineered long-lasting antimicrobial agents for catheter product protection.

Microban utilizes a thin-film polymer coating, called Parylene, to protect a number of devices and components in healthcare facilities. By combining the Parylene with Microban antimicrobial agents, Microban effectively combats harmful microbes that are found on catheter coatings and medical devices.

Built-in antimicrobial agents for healthcare facilities, like those found in catheter coatings, are able to lower the rate of HAI’s in patients that can be attributed to biofilm incrustation and propagation that occurs during use.

Examples of Antimicrobials for Dental Trays

Microban protects dental trays using antimicrobial agents, like ZPTech® and SilverShield®. Because dental trays can be polymer-based, the antimicrobial agents can be infused into the dental trays during the manufacturing process, ensuring that trays control and fight bacteria growth throughout the product’s lifetime.

These examples of antimicrobials with silver and zinc bases provide healthcare products with maximum protection and ensure material compatibility. Beyond protecting products, these antimicrobial agents are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as safe to use in a variety of applications, including those that come into contact with food.

With care for each product, Microban engineers work to develop customized formulas and applications to fit the needs of each product and ensure that the antimicrobial agents are seamlessly integrated into the manufacturing process of products.

With your consumers health at the top of your priorities, antimicrobial agents are a key component to combating disease causing pathogens that ultimately lead to HAIs. If you want to uncover additional examples of antimicrobials and learn more about how Microban technologies can protect your products from microbes, reach out to us today.