Two million Americans a year will get a hospital infection. 100,000 of them will die.
Dr. Michael Schmidt, a microbiologist says, "Hospital-acquired infection is the dirty little secret of healthcare."
Schmidt hopes to reduce infections with something that’s probably in your pocket.
Schmidt says, "Copper is microbiocidal. It's a metal and when the bacteria come in contact with it, they die."
No one’s sure why copper kills, but studies show it destroys nearly all of infection-causing microbes.
Schmidt says, "They're not coming back to life. They are dead and as they say, 'Dead microbes tell no tales.'"
In Schmidt’s study, copper replaces plastic components in hospital rooms like bed rails, nurse call buttons, tray tables and keyboards.
Doctor Cassandra Salgado says copper will add another much-needed layer of protection. Salgado says, "The thought of being able to reduce our infection rates by using something as simple as this is really, really exciting."
Schmidt says not only will it save lives, but money too. Currently, hospital infections cost the health care system 30 billion dollars a year. Salgado says, "We're looking for a 50-percent reduction and that's $15 billion."

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Michael Schmidt, PhD Medical University of South Carolina schmidtm@musc.edu http://www.musc.edu