As the Silver Institute reports: “Only during the past few years have scientist learned how silver works as a biocide. Silver ions penetrate the cell walls of bacteria – without injuring mammalian cells – thus destroying the chemical and structural bonds essential for the bacteria’s survival and growth.” Source: https://www.silverinstitute.org/silver-in-medicine/

Importantly, silver can be incorporated into materials to create a long-lasting antimicrobial presence. This offers the possibility to create innovative microbial control products that can complement traditional healthcare hygiene practices.  

Hence, silver is widely approved for use in medical devices and healthcare products to provide antimicrobial action.As Alan B.G. Lansdown Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Charing Cross Hospital, London states:  “Metallic silver and silver compounds are used widely in medical devices and healthcare products to provide antibacterial and anti-fungal action. Experience has shown that they are generally safe in use and effective in controlling pathogenic organisms.”

Here are some of the most common healthcare applications of silver:

Antibacterial cream: Silver sulfadiazine (SSD) is a topical antibiotic used in burns to prevent infection. It was discovered in the 1960s, and was the standard topical antimicrobial for burn wounds for decades. SSD is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines (updated as of March 2017) as one of the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. https://www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/en/

Dressings: A 2017 meta-analysis of clinical studies over the period of 2000-2015 showed that "silver not only has antimicrobial effects but is also characterized by an improvement in quality of life and good cost-effectiveness" Source: "Evidence for silver in wound care - meta-analysis of clinical studies from 2000-2015". Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28485879

Prevention of Hospital Acquired Infection: Silver is used extensively in hospitals including in low-toxicity surface disinfectants, surgical clothing, bed linens, bandages, air duct filters, lab coats, and more. Combined with regular cleanings and good hand hygiene procedures, antimicrobial silver-treated products can be powerful weapons in the fight against healthcare-associated infections. Silver is also used in water purification systems in hospitals to stop the spread of Legionnaire’s disease.

“In 2002 the WHO published results on nosocomial infections: ‘A prevalence survey conducted under the auspices of WHO in 55 hospitals of 14 countries representing 4 WHO Regions (Europe Eastern Mediterranean South-East Asia and Western Pacific) showed an average of 8.7% of hospital patients had nosocomial infections. At any time over 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infectious complications acquired in hospital. ‘Experts suggest that in specific areas of medical devices (e.g. catheters bone cement coating for implants wound dressing encasement of medical instruments and many more) the use of silver substances can lead to a reduction of 90 % of the risk of getting nosocomial infection’ (Klein 2011)….. The outcome of the socio-economic valuation was that the benefit of the lower infection rate by applying a nanosilver coating on the door handles in hospitals to reduce the amount of hospital infections outweighs all direct and indirect costs.” Final Report Summary - LICARA (Life cycle approach and human risk impact assessment, product stewardship and stakeholder risk/benefit communication of nanomaterials)

See full report here: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/105226/reporting/en

Fighting “superbugs”: Silver has also been shown to be effective against bacteria that are becoming resistant because of the overuse of chemical antibiotics. For example, a life-threatening Staph germ called MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), often referred to as a “superbug” and found in healthcare facilities, is resistant to almost all chemical antibiotics. To fight back, hospitals are employing silver-imbedded equipment including surgical tools, needles, stethoscopes, furniture, door handles, furniture, and linens.

Medical devices: Silver is widely used for prosthetics, reconstructive surgery, cardiac devices, catheters, surgical appliances, and more.  The benefits of silver can be substantial.  As the Lancet reported in 2000 “Urinary catheters coated with antibacterial silver alloy may reduce the incidence of catheter related urinary-tract infections (UTIs) by nearly half and, despite their higher price, may cut costs as well.” Link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)72864-6/fulltext

Dentistry: Silver has been used in dentistry for more than a century. Dental offices worldwide use non-corrosive antimicrobial silver compounds at very low and nontoxic concentrations to control bacteria in many different applications, and research is ongoing for the prospective use in future dentistry.