Hospital Ángeles tests nasal photodisinfection to cut surgical infections

Mexico’s largest private hospital network is piloting Ondine Biomedical’s Steriwave at two flagship hospitals to reduce surgical site infections before major surgery. The rollout follows a large North American Phase 3 trial and could expand to all 27 hospitals in the network if early results are successful.

Why it matters: - Surgical site infections raise deaths, length of stay and costs. - Hospital Ángeles Health System is Mexico’s largest private hospital network, so even a limited rollout could affect a large number of surgeries. - The pilot also adds another potential use case for photodisinfection as hospitals look for non-antibiotic infection prevention tools.

What happened: - Hospital Ángeles Health System is introducing nasal photodisinfection before surgery at two flagship hospitals. - The pilot uses Ondine Biomedical’s Steriwave technology. - The initial rollout is focused on patients undergoing major surgery. - The two hospitals are Hospital Ángeles Acoxpa in Mexico City and Hospital Ángeles Valle Oriente in Monterrey.

The details: - Steriwave is a five-minute treatment administered by a clinician before surgery. - The technology targets bacteria, viruses and fungi in the nose. - Ondine says the nose is the primary reservoir for pathogens that cause surgical site infections. - Steriwave is designed to act immediately and does not require patient compliance. - The company says the treatment does not promote antimicrobial resistance. - Hospitals across the UK and Canada have reported up to a 70% reduction in surgical site infections with Steriwave. - Ondine’s Phase 3 trial included 5,018 patients across 17 Canadian and U.S. hospitals. - Topline results from that trial showed a 40.5% reduction in post-surgical infection rates. - Hospital Ángeles Acoxpa is a high-volume robotic surgery center. - Hospital Ángeles Valle Oriente is known for complex orthopedic and cardiovascular care. - Hospital Ángeles plans to extend Steriwave across its 27 hospitals nationwide after successful initial deployments. - Ondine Biomedical is a Canadian life sciences company focused on light-activated antimicrobial therapies for infection prevention and treatment. - Steriwave is authorised for nasal decolonisation in Canada, the UK and certain other international markets. - Ondine’s nasal photodisinfection technology is not FDA approved and is limited in the United States to investigational use only.

Between the lines: - The Mexico rollout gives Ondine a visible commercial and clinical foothold in a market known for advanced medical technology and medical tourism. - The pilot could help Hospital Ángeles compare a non-antibiotic infection-prevention approach with standard pre-surgical protocols. - The network’s size creates a meaningful expansion opportunity if the first two sites show strong results.

What's next: - Hospital Ángeles will test the technology first at Acoxpa and Valle Oriente. - The network plans broader adoption if the initial clinical deployments are successful. - Ondine is positioning Steriwave for more international use outside the United States as additional hospital evidence builds.

The bottom line: - Hospital Ángeles is betting that a fast, pre-surgery nasal treatment can help lower one of surgery’s most costly complications, and it could scale quickly if the pilot performs well.