AUTOMATED HAND DRYER AND STERILISER - Isis Project No 3250

Oxford researchers have designed a device that combines hand drying and sterilising functions to counter the increase in C.diff and other hospital acquired infections.

MARKETING OPPORTUNITY

Incidence of hospital acquired (nosocomial) infections with bacterial pathogens resistant to many widely used antibiotics is of growing concern in UK hospitals. The two organisms responsible for the greatest mortality are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C.diff) and new methods for reducing their incidence in clinical environments are urgently needed.Best practice in clinical environments involves frequent hand washing with soap and water (the abrasive action of washing being effective at removing C.diff spores) followed by drying and sterilising with an alcohol gel (effective at killing MRSA). However, compliance is generally poor and drying methods sub-optimal. Conventional warm air blowers are slow, do not filter the air used and require hands to be rubbed together to dry well. This results in no net decrease in bacterial content and is especially poor at removing bacteria from fingertips and the tip of the thumb. Paper towels do reduce bacterial content, particularly from fingertips, but are environmentally unfriendly.

THE OXFORD INVENTION

The Oxford device builds on advances made with recently developed high-velocity cold air hand dryers, but incorporates a hand sterilising mechanism able to reduce the clinical hand hygiene procedure to a single step process. In contrast to conventional devices it would filter both the exhaust air and water from hands and then automatically administer a sterilising alcohol spray. The proposed invention will be ideal for control of MRSA and C.diff infection in a manner which is likely to significantly increase compliance.

PATENT STATUS

This work is the subject of patent application, and Isis would like to talk to companies interested in developing the commercial opportunity that this represents. Please contact the Isis Project Manager to discuss this further.

Request Further Information: Project Number 3250 Automated hand Dryer and Steriliser