Ottawa Heart Institute reports significant reduction in surgical infections following new prevention protocol

Canadian cardiac centre reports a 51.5% relative reduction in certain surgical-site infections in an observational evaluation involving more than 2,100 procedures.

A new evaluation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute suggests that a light-activated infection-prevention treatment may help reduce surgical-site infections among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

The findings, presented at the 2026 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Ottawa, examined 2,172 cardiac bypass procedures performed between June 2023 and January 2026.

Researchers reported that infections at sites where blood vessels were removed for bypass surgery declined from 3.3 per cent to 1.6 per cent following the introduction of a nasal photodisinfection protocol.

That represents a relative reduction of approximately 51.5 per cent.

The findings were announced October 23 by Canadian medical technology company Ondine Biomedical, whose Steriwave system was used in the hospital’s infection-prevention program. Investegate

A different approach to preventing infections

Surgical-site infections remain an important concern for hospitals because they can complicate recovery, extend hospital stays and increase healthcare costs.

The Ottawa evaluation focused specifically on infections occurring where veins or arteries are harvested from a patient’s leg or arm during coronary artery bypass grafting.

Traditionally, some hospitals have used mupirocin, a topical antibiotic applied inside the nose before surgery, to reduce bacteria that could contribute to infections.

The newer approach uses a photosensitive compound activated by red light to reduce potentially harmful microorganisms in the nasal passages.

Unlike conventional antibiotic treatments that may require patients to follow a multi-day application schedule, photodisinfection is administered by healthcare professionals at the point of care.

More than 2,100 procedures examined

Researchers compared outcomes from two consecutive periods.

The first involved 1,678 coronary bypass procedures during a 24-month period when mupirocin was used.

The second included 494 procedures during the first eight months of the hospital’s photodisinfection program.

The evaluation found that the proportion of patients experiencing infections at blood-vessel harvest sites decreased from 3.3 per cent to 1.6 per cent.

Patient adherence to the infection-prevention protocol also improved.

Researchers reported 93.3 per cent compliance with the nurse-administered photodisinfection approach, compared with 35.4 per cent during the earlier mupirocin period.

The findings suggest that simplifying how preventive treatments are delivered could help hospitals improve consistency in infection-control practices.

Important limitations

The evaluation was conducted at a single hospital and compared outcomes across different periods rather than randomly assigning patients to treatments.

Consequently, the findings demonstrate an association between the new protocol and lower infection rates but do not establish that photodisinfection alone caused the improvement.

Other changes in clinical practices or patient characteristics may have influenced the results.

The findings have been reported in conference abstracts, and further peer-reviewed research will help determine how effectively the approach performs across different hospitals and surgical populations.

Implications for Canadian hospitals

The results highlight growing interest in infection-prevention technologies that can be incorporated directly into existing surgical workflows.

For hospitals, improving adherence to preventive measures can be as important as introducing new technologies.

A treatment administered by healthcare professionals immediately before surgery may help reduce the challenges associated with asking patients to complete preventive treatments independently.

The findings also underscore the role of nursing teams in implementing infection-prevention programs and monitoring compliance.

As Canadian healthcare organizations recognize National Infection Control Week, October 19–23, the Ottawa experience offers an example of how clinical innovation and changes in care delivery may contribute to safer surgical procedures.

Further evaluation will be needed to establish whether similar improvements can be achieved consistently across other healthcare settings.

Source: Ottawa Heart Institute infection-prevention findings — regulatory news announcement

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