EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Medical Device Protection - Maintenance

As the Trust Medical Device Safety Officer, Decontamination Lead & Assistant Director Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering, the costly failure of Medical device, plastics, enclosures, displays /touch-screens etc is of great concern to our EME department.

Materials Technology to combat this issue is now incorporated into newer devices but this remains a small percentage, the ability to apply this technology retrospectively now exists, as a maintenance spray on our devices, a completely inert, biocompatible, invisible, nanotechnology (a few atoms high) as used on medical devices, surgical equipment, endoscopic devices & implants.

Our Medical Devices will be more robust, will last longer, stay clean, tackle infection (HCAI) & antimicrobial resistance. We have demonstrated a reduction of circa 98% bioburden in critical care equipment, Medical Equipment Workshops & Libraries - (The treatment remains active for over a year, the manufacturers estimate this will cost around 80 pence per device)

Note:- The use of this green technology will not change equipment cleaning/disinfection processes, it provides a powerful infection protection adjunct and represents significant savings. Practical Benefits as follows:-

Increased the structural strength, scratch and abrasion resistance of Medical Devices.
Prevents Medical Device degradation, ageing, soiling, protects from friction & wear, improves appearance.
Imparts excellent chemical & biological resistance, limiting damage to Medical Device surfaces caused by cleaning & disinfection products, blood & bodily fluids.
Decreases permeability in corrosive environments, providing anti-corrosion properties.
Imparts surfaces with self-clean properties - making Medical Devices & clinical environment surfaces easier to clean.

Since Covid, used globally in the food, transport & hospitality sectors, used now in healthcare in care homes and hospitals for Medical Devices and areas such as Surgical, Renal, Endoscopy & Critical Care, we aim to be the first Trust to implement such technology as part of our maintenance regime.

We have undertaken independent UKAS accredited laboratory testing. happy to send results/report FYI and links to an excellent and very interesting NHS briefing paper from Imperial College detailing this ideal candidate technology and its benefits.

If the medical device OEM did not approve this modification it may well invalidate the product conformity. In fact the OEM may well reject claims following any incident after this modification had been applied. I would not be applying such products without the OEM approval.

I'm not sure we can comment before we find out what it is that Alf is actually taking about here, Mike.

Some sort of magic spray-on product, perhaps ... a lacquer? Or could it just be WD-40?

Either way, can a "maintenance spray" really be regarded as a "modification"? Are disinfecting "wipes" and other such "products" often applied with gay abandon by users so considered?

OK, we know that some of the more "aggressive" applications have been known to degrade plastic casings ... but if owners wish to abuse their equipment like that (or, indeed, in a multitude of other ways), surely that is up to them, and not really the concern of the OEM. The OEM shall no doubt be happy to sell replacement equipment, after all.

Please see below NHS briefing paper from Imperial College Institute for Molecular Science & Engineering, there's no getting around it, presently medical devices as fomites (an inanimate object that can carry & spread disease) contribute significantly to the transmission of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) and the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This is a massive issue. And beyond the capability of most OEMs to solve, their expertise primarily in developing medical devices rather than materials science.

https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/bitstream/10044/1/76707/11/IMSJ7722-Briefing-Paper-200214-WEB.pdf

Geoff is right, the OEMs actually approve of very little and damage to medical equipment caused by cleaning/disinfection (even "approved") is usually excluded under terms and conditions. And to be honest, preventing failure and extending the lifecycle of medical devices, reduces sales.

This technology does not modify devices or materials whatsoever, it is completely inert, safe & non-chemical and also biocompatible (even used on implants) this is simply the addition of the most active protective coating that the University of Ulster has seen in over 20 years of research, presenting a surface morphology which adds strength, prevents friction & wear, materials depredation, is anti-corrosive, promotes self cleaning and protects against harsh cleaning & disinfection chemicals.

The technology itself has a Global Medical Device Nomenclature code - 65345 - A durable disinfectant coating - A substance/ready to use solution intended to be applied to a surface to create an enduring, long life coating with antimicrobial and anti viral effect that destroys pathogens with a specific mechanism - photocatalytic/oligodynamic effect. The product is compliant with the Biocidal Product Regulations & meets all of the ideal characteristics of a candidate technology as detailed in the Imperial College NHS Briefing Paper.

So, as well as the proven ability to tackle infection & antimicrobial résistance, this nanoscopic technology provides a coating that is very tough The product has undergone & passed abrasion/durability tests at Szeged University with excellent results. It has been tested & is compatible with all plastics, rubbers, metals & fabrics. An excellent maintenance & adjunct to Infection & antimicrobial resistance prevention.

Resysten Medical have developed a simple applications system specifically for use by EBME technicians.

I find this area of science fascination, we find exactly the same technology in nature, an example of biomimicry - butterflies are equipped with the same phenomena to strengthen & clean their wings.

Hi Alf

This stuff sounds interesting.
I could not open the link to the Imperial document you referred to.

Can you send a link direct that will open, or provide more information on the product and its application.

Thanks
Richard

richard.aldridge1@nhs.net

Please find attached Briefing Paper

Why is it of importance to Government, the National Health Service, and medical device companies to consider new developments in antimicrobial surfaces?

• Conventional approaches are not sufficient to tackle biofilms and surface attached cells.
• Developing effective, low-cost strategies to fight HCAI and AMR is a key target for government and health service providers.
• Minimising health and safety risks.
• Regulatory Changes. Concerns about environmental pollution and toxicity are leading to regulatory changes, limiting the use of previously widely employed solutions
• Greener product formulations for biofilm control.

Our results have been spectacular, - because of the molecular characteristics of the enduring Resysten Medical protective coating, our medical equipment is more robust, less prone to deterioration (will last longer) and be protected against blood, body fluids & harsh cleaning & disinfection chemicals.

In developing this low cost maintenance strategy we are also tackling the costly and sometimes lethal issues of HCAI & AMR, meeting key government and NHS targets.

It looks like the use of antimicrobial coatings in healthcare is set to rise rapidly year on year, WRT medical devices, catheters, implantable, and surgical instruments etc.

As the technology provides anti deterioration maintenance & infection prevention benefits, the coatings in addition are biocompatible, non-toxic, and biostable, which will promote industry development over forecast periods.

The presence of key medical equipment players entering the market, including GE Healthcare Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, Baxter International Inc., and Stryker Corp. is likely to boost the use of antimicrobial maintenance products for medical devices in the future & for retrospective application.