At VGH, groundbreaking work is producing award-winning results.

A multidisciplinary team, led by Dr. Elizabeth Bryce, has conducted a revolutionary pilot using MRSAid™ photodisinfection therapy and chlorhexidrine body-wipes to kill potentially harmful bacteria prior to major surgery. This pilot is the first time a combination of non-pharmaceutical therapies has been used in a North American hospital to reduce surgical site infections.

Dr. Bryce’s work is so groundbreaking that VGH recently received the Innovation Award of Excellence from the International Consortium for Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC), which is endorsed by the World Health Organization. VGH competed against 40 international teams for this honour.

In the pilot project, post-surgical infections were reduced by nearly 40%, saving the hospital an impressive $1.3 million in post-surgical infections and re-admissions. “This technology not only has the potential to prevent infections but the money saved can then be reinvested into direct patient care,” says Dr. Bryce. “I’m very honoured and thrilled to receive this award on behalf of our research team and to further explore infection control techniques.”

Read more about this revolutionary procedure and what it means for patients across BC.

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