Surgical site infections add estimated $2,056 per cardiac procedure, analysis finds

Canadian health economics analysis highlights the financial and operational burden of post-operative infections, including additional hospital bed-days and potential reductions in surgical capacity.

Surgical site infections following cardiac surgery could add an average of $2,056 in additional costs per procedure, according to a health economics analysis highlighted by Canadian life sciences company Ondine Biomedical.

The findings, presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2026 and published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, suggest that post-operative infections create financial pressures that extend beyond the cost of treating affected patients.

The analysis also estimates that infection-related complications could consume hospital capacity equivalent to approximately 10 per cent of cardiac surgical procedures under the modelled assumptions.

Ondine Biomedical announced the findings November 11, emphasizing the potential role of infection prevention strategies in reducing avoidable costs and preserving surgical resources.

Modelling the financial burden of infection

The analysis uses a baseline surgical site infection rate of 6.7 per cent and an assumed additional hospital cost of $30,689 for each patient who develops an infection.

Based on these assumptions, researchers calculated an average additional cost of approximately $2,056 across all cardiac surgery procedures, including those in which no infection occurs.

The approach distributes the expected cost of infections across the entire surgical population, providing hospital administrators with a per-procedure estimate of infection-related financial risk.

The researchers describe this measure as an infection tax, intended to illustrate the potential economic impact of complications that may be reduced through effective prevention strategies.

Importantly, the $30,689 incremental cost was adapted from a U.S. healthcare cost benchmark, adjusted for currency and differences in healthcare systems. It was not directly measured in Canadian cardiac surgery patients.

As a result, the $2,056 figure should be understood as a modelling estimate rather than a documented average cost across Canadian hospitals.

Additional bed-days affect surgical capacity

The analysis also examined the potential operational impact of infections on hospital capacity.

In a modelled group of 1,000 cardiac surgery patients, a 6.7 per cent infection rate would result in approximately 67 surgical site infections.

Those infections were estimated to generate more than $2 million in additional hospital costs and require approximately 650 extra inpatient bed-days.

The bed-day calculation assumes that patients experiencing a surgical site infection remain hospitalized an average of 9.7 additional days.

Researchers estimated that these occupied beds could otherwise support approximately 100 elective cardiac procedures, representing a potential 10 per cent reduction in surgical capacity.

The findings highlight how infection-related complications can affect operating schedules, patient flow and waiting lists, particularly in hospitals already experiencing constraints on inpatient beds and staffing.

However, the estimate of 100 displaced procedures represents a theoretical opportunity cost. It does not demonstrate that preventing infections would automatically enable hospitals to perform 100 additional surgeries.

Infection prevention as a hospital capacity strategy

Surgical site infections remain an important patient safety concern because they can result in prolonged hospitalization, additional treatment, readmissions and increased demand for clinical resources.

For cardiac surgery patients, infection prevention is particularly important given the complexity of procedures and the potential consequences of post-operative complications.

Hospitals use a range of prevention measures, including appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis, skin antisepsis, infection surveillance, standardized surgical practices and pre-operative decolonization for selected patients.

The new analysis suggests that evaluating infection prevention programs should include not only direct treatment costs but also the effect of complications on staffing, hospital beds and surgical throughput.

By incorporating these broader operational considerations, healthcare organizations may be better positioned to assess the financial value of prevention initiatives.

Canadian research examines prevention approaches

The analysis was presented alongside two related research posters from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

One examined implementation of a cardiac surgery infection prevention bundle through frontline engagement, nasal photodisinfection and nurse-led advocacy.

The second examined surgical site infections following cardiac surgery using an interrupted time-series analysis of nasal photodisinfection.

Both were identified in the company’s announcement as research presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2026.

Ondine Biomedical develops Steriwave, a light-activated antimicrobial technology used for nasal decolonization in certain jurisdictions, including Canada.

The company has a commercial interest in promoting infection prevention approaches involving photodisinfection. The economic analysis does not, by itself, demonstrate the clinical effectiveness or cost savings of any particular product.

The findings should therefore be considered in the context of the model’s assumptions and the broader evidence supporting individual infection prevention interventions.

Implications for Canadian hospitals

For hospital executives and surgical program leaders, the analysis offers another perspective on the costs associated with preventable complications.

The financial impact of surgical site infections includes not only additional clinical treatment but also longer hospital stays, increased nursing demands and reduced availability of inpatient beds.

With many Canadian hospitals facing sustained pressure to improve surgical access and manage operating costs, infection prevention remains an important component of patient safety and operational planning.

The findings suggest that even relatively modest reductions in surgical site infection rates could potentially reduce resource use, although actual savings and capacity gains would depend on local infection rates, patient populations, staffing, costs and available surgical resources.

Further Canadian hospital-level economic evaluations would help determine how closely the modelled estimates reflect real-world costs and what improvements can be achieved through specific prevention strategies.

Source: Ondine Biomedical 

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