Ondine Biomedical Inc (AIM:OBI)'s photodisinfection technology, which is used to reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, has been selected for use at the Kelowna General Hospital in Canada.
Under a pilot programme, all orthopedic patients at Kelowna General Hospital will be treated with Ondine's Steriwave nasal photodisinfection therapy prior to surgery.
HAIs are a serious problem in hospitals across Canada, with one in every 195 Canadians now expected to contract an HAI in their lifetime.
They are also becoming harder to treat due to rising rates of antimicrobial resistance which are making commonly used antibiotics increasingly ineffective.
Ondine's Steriwave photodisinfection treatment kills all types of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi, without causing resistance.
Steriwave is already in use at a number of hospitals across Canada, including Vancouver General Hospital and The Ottawa Hospital.
In these hospital settings, pre-surgical use of Steriwave has resulted in significant improvement in post-surgical outcomes including lower rates of infection, reduced patient length of stay, fewer readmissions, and lower rates of antibiotic prescribing.
Ondine Biomedical's chief executive Carolyn Cross commented: "We believe that every patient deserves the best protection against HAIs. By wiping out the pathogens in the nose, which is a major reservoir for these potentially fatal pathogens, our photodisinfection treatment can reduce HAIs following major surgeries by up to 80%.
“We are delighted to be working with the orthopedic team at Kelowna General Hospital, to assist their ongoing efforts to combat these dangerous infections and continue to improve patient outcomes."