In a response to a letter to The Hospitalist magazine, author Harold Michels addressed concerns from a physician that implanted copper-nickel alloy devices have the potential for severe allergic reactions.
"Implanted devices are not part of the EPA-approved products list of antimicrobial copper and, therefore, are not being proposed for use in the fight against hospital infections," Michels wrote in an article on The Hospitalist website.
Referring to questions of copper tarnishing, Michels said copper alloys should be cleaned regularly — especially in hospitals.
"But more importantly, the antimicrobial effect of this metal is not inhibited if the surfaces tarnish," Michels said.
Grounding Healthcare Spaces in Hospitality Principles
UC Davis Health Selects Rudolph and Sletten for Central Utility Plant Expansion
Cape Cod Healthcare Opens Upper 2 Floors of Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion
Building Sustainable Healthcare for an Aging Population
Froedtert ThedaCare Announces Opening of ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh