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Three research studies on Vestex™ VTT003 fabric treated with Semeltec™ antimicrobial were presented at the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA 2011). Cornell University researcher Thomas Walsh, M.D., gave VTT003 five standard tests for healthcare products: water resistance, hydrostatic pressure, synthetic blood, dry bacterial penetration and wet bacterial penetration. The study suggests that “further testing of VTT003 performance is warranted” as “reducing the transmission of blood, bodily fluids, and other contaminants via HCW and patient worn textiles is of vital importance in occupational safety and infection control programs.” Vestex VTT003 is manufactured by Vestagen Technical Textiles LLC, an Orlando, Fla.-based manufacturer of performance textiles.
A blinded, cross-over clinical trial conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University found Vestex scrubs “were associated with decreased MRSA burden” when compared to standard scrubs. The VCU researchers reported, “when bundled with infection prevention strategies, antimicrobial impregnated scrubs may limit the bacterial burden of apparel.” Clostridium difficile (C. diff) bacterial infections run rampant through many healthcare organizations, affecting both patients and care givers with diarrhea. MedStar Health Research Institute and Southern Research Institute found both Semeltec alone and embedded in VTT003 to be highly effective in killing C. diff in vitro.