Ondine Biomedical Announces 39% Surgical Site Infection Reduction at VGH with Photodisinfection Technology invented by UK Professor Michael Wilson, Eastman Dental
Vancouver, Canada (PRWEB UK) 17 December 2012
The first ever pilot program featuring Photodisinfection, a novel non-antibiotic approach to eliminating bacteria inside the noses of patients in the minutes just prior to major elective surgery, has resulted in a 39% reduction of surgical site infections (SSI) at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). Photodisinfection technology was invented by Professor Michael Wilson at the Eastman Dental Institute, University London College in the late 1980’s for the treatment of oral infections for the dental market and is now being developed by Ondine Biomedical Inc. to commercialize other applications such as the prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia, chronic sinusitis, burns and wounds infection control and the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.
Photodisinfection therapy demonstrated a significant instant decrease to a patient’s load of both Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Methicillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) in the nasal cavity just prior to surgery. In numerous studies, the elimination of bacteria using antibiotics from the nose of the patient resulted in significant reductions of surgical site infections as the patient may self-infect when weakened by surgery. Photodisinfection is a safe, non-antibiotic, antimicrobial treatment that can be used minutes before a surgery. Unlike antibiotics, Photodisinfection has excellent patient compliance rates and is suitable for multiple use as Photodisinfection does not generate resistance.
The VGH pilot program, which features the MRSAid™ nasal decolonization therapy along with traditional chlorhexidine body wipes, is considered a breakthrough for infection control as it has the potential to reduce the use of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance has been identified by the World Health Organization as a threat to public health globally. The program is the first of its kind and has generated $ 1.9 million of savings to the Vancouver General Hospital as well as demonstrated excellent safety results, patient compliance and ease of work flow integration. As a result of these benefits, VGH has adopted Photodisinfection into its standard preoperative protocols.
“We were able to reduce SSI occurrences by 39 per cent over the study’s duration with the combination of Photodisinfection and chlorhexidine body wipes, marking impressive gains for patient quality and safety,” said Dr. Elizabeth Bryce, Regional Medical Director, Infection Control at Vancouver Coastal Health. “Most importantly, the decrease in SSI translates into less morbidity for our patients.”
Patients that develop infections after surgery are five times more likely to be readmitted to a hospital, and twice as likely to die. On average, SSI require an extended hospital stay of eight days in an acute care setting, and add hundreds of millions of dollars annually in additional costs to the healthcare systems. More than 5,000 patients were involved in the year-long pilot program that saw a decrease in SSI from 4 to 1.25 cases per month, resulting in the freeing of 533 patient beds and an addition of 138 surgeries performed. Surgical site infections require on average more than 8 days extension of hospital stays, with major infections involving MRSA can exceed many months.
“As a partner in this initiative, we would like to congratulate the dedicated team members at VGH for their pioneering work in the field of non-antibiotic infection control and patient safety,” said Carolyn Cross, Chairman and CEO of Ondine Biomedical Inc., the global leader of photodisinfection technologies. “I also want to acknowledge the inventive genius of Professor Michael Wilson and his passion, throughout his successful career, for validating this extraordinary technology to address antibiotic resistance, in the pursuit of saving lives and improving patient outcomes.”
Preliminary results on MRSAid nasal decolonization have been presented at two infectious disease conferences. Dr. Titus Wong and his team at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) won the John Conly Innovation Academy Award at the AMMI – CACMID Annual Conference for their implementation of a universal nasal decolonization program.
“We are proud to be the first hospital in Canada and in North America to implement a program using this combined approach of innovative light-activated technology that will prevent patients from contracting infections post-surgery,” said Dr. Titus Wong, Medical Microbiologist, Vancouver General Hospital. “Not only will this new approach prevent infections and reduce costs, but it will also allow us to reinvest that saved money into direct patient care.”
About Ondine Biomedical Inc.:
Ondine is the global leader in Photodisinfection technologies, developing non-antibiotic therapies for the treatment of a broad spectrum of bacterial, fungal and viral infections. The Company is focused on developing leading edge products utilizing its patented light-activated technology, primarily for the healthcare-associated infection (HAI) market. Photodisinfection provides broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy without encouraging the formation and spread of antibiotic resistance. Photodisinfection is a painless, non-invasive topical therapy that has been proven to directly target pathogens without damaging human tissue. The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with a research and development laboratories in Bothell, Washington, USA and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Please visit the Company’s websites at: http://www.ondinebio.com. More information at http://www.ondineblog.com, http://www.MRSAidblog.com and http://www.MRSAtopic.com. For further information please contact us at: Ondine Biomedical Inc. info(at)ondinebio.com
About Vancouver Coastal Health:
Vancouver Coastal Health provides a full range of health care services, ranging from hospital treatment to community-based residential, home health, mental health and public health services. VCH is responsible for the delivery of $ 3 billion in care to residents of Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond, and in the coastal mountain communities. http://www.vch.ca.
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