Infections linked to medical devices such as catheters, dental implants, orthopaedics and wound dressings could be dramatically reduced using a simple technique, according to new research.
Scientists at Aston University have found a way to significantly increase the antimicrobial properties of a material used in many medical devices and clinical surfaces: bioactive glass.
The Aston University team had already developed bacteria-killing bioactive glass laced with a single metal oxide of either zinc, cobalt or copper. Their latest research combined pairs of metal oxides in the material — and found that some combinations were more than 100 times better at killing bacteria than using single oxides alone.
Bioactive glass is made from high-purity chemicals designed to induce specific biological activity, but the type currently in clinical use — often as a bone filler — does not contain…
