Antimicrobial Coatings for Medical Shelters(1001-588)

U.S. Army"s Deployable Medical System (DEPMEDS) consists of rigid aluminum ISO-standard shelters which house laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, sterilization departments, and operating rooms and soft wall TEMPER units (Tent, Expandable, Modular, Personnel) which house patient wards and auxiliary units. Although operating rooms are routinely cleaned, in the event of a sudden influx of casualties it may not be possible to clean thoroughly between operations. In addition, cleaning the walls of the soft wall shelters or liners may not be feasible. Therefore, antimicrobial coatings on the walls of both rigid and soft wall shelters are desirable to reduce nosocomial transmission of drug resistant bacterial infections. Based on the results obtained in Phase I, Triton Systems, Inc. proposes to further develop the antimicrobial coatings for rigid and soft wall shelter systems using an EPA-approved, non-leaching, non-toxic, non-oxidizing biocide. A successful conclusion of Phase II will demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in bio-load in full scale shelters.