Salamtex, a textile manufacturing company in Egypt, has created a groundbreaking anti-microbial textile named ‘Guard Textiles’ providing protection against the transmission of infection in health care facilities, according to Hany Salam, managing director of Salamtex for Textiles, Daily News Egypt reported.
Guard Textiles offers a full range of fabrics infused with silver technology to assist hospitals contain the spread of infection. This includes hospital staff and patient attire, along with curtains and bed linens.
The new product integrates silver and metallic silver antibacterial agents that disturb the cell membrane of any microorganisms that come into contact with it. This mechanism essentially destroys infection-creating microbes.
The silver technology integrated in the fabrics is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Tests have confirmed that Guard Textiles have 99.99 per cent resistance against E coli, VRE, salmonella, and MRSA.
The new textile does not lose its antimicrobial efficacy over time. According to test data, the silver induced technology remains effective after 200 industrial washes in actual hospital laundries.
Abdelkarim Kamel, a medical consultant with Salamtex said that the technology has the potential to help hospitals reduce the spread of infections. It is a passive system that immediately kills bacteria would provide much greater efficacy than changing practices.
Salam added that the technology utilized has the potential to help hospitals reduce not only the spread of infection, but also the growing financial burden that these infections place on patients, their families and the state.
