Pre-surgical nasal photodisinfection protocol contributed to 66.5% reduction in spine surgery infection rates and $2.5 million annual savings in Vancouver General Hospital

Pre-surgical nasal photodisinfection protocol contributed to 66.5% reduction in spine surgery infection rates and $2.5 million annual savings in Vancouver General Hospital

Canadian life sciences company, Ondine Biomedical Inc. reports new independent research findings from Vancouver General Hospital which were presented at the IP2023 conference in Liverpool, England.

• Canada’s British Columbia-based hospitals, Vancouver General & University of British Columbia (UBC) Hospitals, pioneered the universal pre-surgical nasal photodisinfection and chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) wipes protocol and were the first hospitals to adopt this approach as a standard of care, reducing post-surgical infection rates without generating resistance.
• 66.5% reduction in surgical site infection rate in spine patients (7.98% vs 2.67%, p<0.001) despite rising anti-microbial resistance.
• $19.9 million net cost savings over the 8-year study period between 2011 and 2019 from reduced infection rates.
• Demonstration of long-term safety – no complications or adverse events specific to the administration of nasal photodisinfection.

With the inclusion of Steriwave^® nasal photodisinfection in its presurgical quality improvement protocols, researchers at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) were able to demonstrate a 66.5% reduction in its surgical site infection (SSI) rate in spine surgery patients.  The VGH spine group, led by Dr. John Street, presented its research findings showing a significant and sustained reduction of surgical site infections (SSIs) in spine surgery patients using this universal pre-surgical protocol.

In collaboration with UBC Hospital, the new decolonization protocol pioneered by the Vancouver Coastal Health Infection Control team included Steriwave nasal photodisinfection alongside skin cleansing with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) wipes to prevent SSIs in patients undergoing major surgeries. As one of Canada’s largest tertiary hospitals, the VGH spine group also estimated that the prevented SSIs over the 8-year study period between 2011-2019 resulted in institutional cost savings of $19.9 million, a net annual cost saving of $2.49 million.

The poster, presented by Dr. Eryck Moskven, concludes that the universal presurgical protocol involving nasal photodisinfection and CHG skin decolonization “is a simple, safe, and clinically effective preventative strategy for reducing the incidence of SSI following emergent or elective spine surgery.” Moreover, no performance impact from resistance generation was observed during the study period.

Surgical site infections are serious complications that can occur following surgery. Spine SSIs can affect up to 18% of patients who then require long, complex and costly treatment.[i]

[i] Chahoud J, Kanafani Z, Kanj SS. Surgical site infections following spine surgery: eliminating the controversies in the diagnosis. Front Med (Lausanne). 2014 Mar 24;1:7. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2014.00007.