Ondine Biomedical Inc. (LON: OBI), the Canadian life sciences company pioneering light-activated antimicrobial treatments, announces that an independent study undertaken at the world renowned Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute demonstrated a 32% reduction in cardiac surgical site infections (SSIs) following the implementation of Steriwave as a replacement for the antibiotic Mupirocin. Researchers from the University of Alberta presented this data in a poster at the AMMI Canada-CACMID annual conference, a major conference on clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

In June 2023, Steriwave was implemented on a pilot basis as a replacement for the antibiotic Mupirocin, which has resistance rates as high as 81% and is used by many hospitals as the standard of care for the prevention of SSIs.[i] The average SSI rate prior to the implementation of Steriwave was 1.67 per 100 surgeries, and the final rate following the implementation of Steriwave was 0.7 per 100 surgeries. The researchers estimated that this reduction in SSIs represented a $56,000 cost saving during the quarter. The compliance rate for Steriwave was 94%, and treatment was well-tolerated with no adverse reactions reported.

Lead author Dr. Stephanie Smith, Director of Hospital Infection Prevention and Control at the University of Alberta Hospital and the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, commented: “We are very pleased to be able to share these initial results from the Steriwave pilot. To see a reduction in SSIs in excess of the already low rate we had when using Mupirocin is fantastic, particularly as many hospitals are looking to reduce their use of Mupirocin because of challenges with compliance and concerns about antibiotic resistance.”

SSIs are one of the most significant complications in cardiac surgery patients and are strongly associated with poorer prognosis. SSIs can complicate up to 27% of cardiac surgery procedures[ii] and result in substantially higher costs because of the need for additional treatments and extended patient recovery time. Nasal decolonization has been found to significantly decrease SSIs caused by the infection-causing pathogen S. aureus following cardiac procedures.[iii]

Steriwave is a broad-spectrum light-activated antimicrobial that uses a patented photosensitizer and associated red activating light to destroy pathogens in the nose. The nose is a major reservoir of bacteria, fungi and viruses which can spread and cause serious infections. Unlike traditional antibiotics, Steriwave is immediately effective with a single five-minute treatment and does not trigger antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Mupirocin, as well as having high resistance rates, tends to have a low compliance rate less than 40%, as patients need to self-administer in the five days leading up to their surgery. Both these factors led to Alberta Health Services’ previously announced decision to expand its use of Steriwave.

About the pilot:

The Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute pilot commenced in June 2023. Between June 2023 and February 2024, Steriwave was used to nasally decolonize 828 patients prior to cardiac surgery. The Steriwave compliance rate was 94%, and it was well-tolerated with no adverse reactions reported. The results presented at the AMMI Canada-CACMID annual conference were based on data including the first three months of the pilot.

[i] Poovelikunnel T, Gethin G, Humphreys H. Mupirocin resistance: clinical implications and potential alternatives for the eradication of MRSA. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2015;70(10):2681-2692. doi:10.1093/jac/dkv169

[ii] Zukowska A, Zukowski M. Surgical Site Infection in Cardiac Surgery. J Clin Med. 2022 Nov 26;11(23):6991. doi: 10.3390/jcm11236991. PMID: 36498567; PMCID: PMC9738257.

[iii] Lemaignen A, Armand-Lefevre L, Birgand G, Mabileau G, Lolom I, Ghodbane W, Dilly MP, Nataf P, Lucet JC. Thirteen-year experience with universal Staphylococcus aureus nasal decolonization prior to cardiac surgery: a quasi-experimental study. J Hosp Infect. 2018 Nov;100(3):322-328. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2018.04.023. Epub 2018 May 5.