New invention to make hospital bedding germ-resistant

Hospital bedsheets and patient gowns are a major conduit for transferring dangerous bacteria estimated to infect 1.7 million hospitalized Americans and 3.5 million hospitalized Europeans every year. In the United States, hospital-acquired infections kill about 98,000 people yearly.

Chemistry professors Aharon Gedanken and Ilana Perelshtei from Bar-Ilan University have developed a new way to bacteria-proof the fabrics used in a hospital. Their method uses ultrasound waves to induce a physical phenomenon known as “cavitation,” in which rapid changes of pressure in a liquid lead to the formation of tiny vapor-filled cavities. Antibacterial chemicals can then be propelled onto the molecular structure of the fabric at tremendous speed. The technique can be used at the final stage of manufacturing and works with all types of fabric. While the materials used to make these items generally contain an antibacterial coating, it washes out after as few as 15 cleaning cycles.-- More...