Ondine Biomedical Inc (AIM:OBI) said its nasal photodisinfection technology was selected by The Ottawa Hospital for a three-month pilot evaluation as a non-antibiotic method of preventing surgical site infections in patients that have had spinal ops.
The Ondine process, called Steriwave, involves applying a solution to each nostril that is activated by laser light.
In a phase II trial, a five-minute treatment eliminated or significantly decreased the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus in 92% of the pre-surgical patients treated. S. aureus is the pathogen most associated with surgical site infections.
Hospitals, meanwhile, are looking for alternative methods of combating antimicrobial resistance to traditional antibiotic treatments.
Ondine pointed to research that showed post-surgical infections currently affect up to 17% of spinal patients.
“Steriwave nasal photodisinfection enables fast, broad-spectrum efficacy, resulting in significant improvements to patient outcomes, cost savings, and bed capacity,” said chief executive, Carolyn Cross.