Hospitals today are facing major issues: In addition to Covid-19, healthcare institutions are realising that they need to uphold the highest standards of hygiene to get multi-resistant pathogens under control as well. Sanitary facilities have become one area of concern in this context – the focus of hygiene specialist Prof. Dr. Klaus Dieter Zastrow’s work. The expert recently evaluated the RP toilet from Japanese manufacturer TOTO, which is currently installed in 53 patient rooms at Klinikum Darmstadt. One of the hygiene technologies found in the RP toilet – like all TOTO toilets – is the powerful, circulating TORNADO FLUSH. Prof. Dr. Zastrow said that using a TOTO toilet with this technology “essentially rules out” the spread of multi-resistant, gram-negative pathogens.

Patients in the newly constructed building at Klinikum Darmstadt, which opened in January 2021, will feel completely at ease. As the only municipal maximum care facility in South Hesse, including an oncology centre certified by the German Cancer Society and a birth clinic with a level-I perinatal centre, the hospital has a number of special features: The management strives to create a “hotel feeling” throughout the facility, helping patients forget for a moment that they are in the hospital. These standards are especially reflected in the individual rooms. Here, the hospital directors decided to follow the recommendations from the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) at the RKI and installed rimless toilets in the bathrooms. Their choice: TOTO’s RP toilet.

Hygiene commission recommends rimless toilets
In March 2020, KRINKO released new recommendations regarding hygiene in medical facilities – and took a critical look at hospital sanitary areas. One weak point: toilets with rims. Studies show that the hard-to-reach area underneath the rim of the toilet bowl provides ideal conditions for multi-resistant pathogens to thrive – essentially forming a reservoir of germs. Flushing the toilet produces spray or aerosols that can contaminate the immediate surrounding area. Aerosols that can spread germs from underneath the rim of the toilet bowl or from human faeces are considered especially critical. This was reason enough for the commission to place a high priority on toilet design in preventing potential infections. KRINKO therefore recommends rimless toilets, as these are proven to reduce the risk of infection. KRINKO also suggests lowering the toilet lid when flushing the toilet to prevent surrounding areas from becoming contaminated.

Hygiene testing for the new TOTO RP toilet
Hygiene specialist Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Zastrow confirms that rimless toilet bowls combined with TOTO’s special cyclone flush technology – called TORNADO FLUSH – are suitable for preventing infection in healthcare facilities. The expert examined TOTO’s RP toilet, which is used in 53 patient rooms at Klinikum Darmstadt. Like all TOTO toilets, it is equipped with the powerful TORNADO FLUSH. This thoroughly cleans every inch of the toilet bowl, washing away all waste and bacteria completely and efficiently. According to one of the conclusion in Zastrow’s hygiene certificate, “Using a rimless toilet equipped with the TOTO technology essentially rules out the spread of gram-negative bacteria (intestinal germs).”

Safety and efficiency
In addition to reducing germs, the toilet bowls produced by the Japanese manufacturer have other positive effects when used in private and professional settings. Hospital operators are observing KRINKO recommendations, which help them reduce their risk while increasing safety for patients and healthcare providers. The toilet bowl features the especially durable CEFIONTECT glaze. This special glaze has an extremely fine microscopic structure, making it practically impossible for even the tiniest waste particles to stick. This glaze is also one of the outstanding hygiene technologies developed by TOTO. It makes the toilets quick and easy to clean, and fewer disinfectants are needed to meet the necessary hygiene requirements.

“Our toilets are among the most hygienic toilets available on the market. They meet all standards recommended for hospitals by the Robert Koch Institute,” said Hubertus Brüggemann, Sales Director TOTO Europe.

Elegance in functional patient bathrooms
The TOTO RP toilet is an elegant addition to the bathrooms in individual patient rooms. It is both fully accessible and functional, but also brings understated, streamlined design to the space. After all, the directors of Klinikum Darmstadt are very aware of the health benefits of a lovely, inspiring environment in addition to the essential hygiene.

Facts + figures:
Klinikum Darmstadt GmbH
Building space: 56,000 m²
40,000 hospitalised patients each year
TOTO product: RP toilet
Link: www.klinikum-darmstadt.de
Homepage: gb.toto.com
E-mail: hospital@toto.com