Empowered Patient Podcast Antibacterial Surface Technology Prevents Infections from Implanted Medical Devices with David Nichols Orthobond
David Nichols, CEO of Orthobond aims to address the unmet need of medical device infection and contamination due to bacteria preventing devices from bonding to the bone or tissue. Orthobond's solution is the Ostaguard technology, which uses a molecule with a positive charge to attract and rupture bacteria. The technology is effective against common strains of bacteria and is primarily needed in the operating room, where medical devices can be exposed to bacteria before being implanted. This mechanical approach to fighting bacteria does not require a drug that can potentially create a superbug.
David explains, "Our bodies have great immune systems, and normally, it takes tens of millions of bacteria to cause an infection. However, numerous studies show that in the presence of an implant, a hip or a knee, or a pacemaker, it could take as few as 200 bacteria to cause an infection. When an implant goes in the body, it seems to overwhelm the immune system and can’t eradicate that bacteria from your body. It takes a lot fewer bacteria than we think."
"Also, that may not manifest into an immediate infection that happens during the first week of the hospital. It may be, especially for mechanical devices like hip, knees, and spinal implants, that bacteria forms into a biofilm that causes implants to get loose. So one of the bigger problems is a long-term failure of function of these implants that sometimes happens in the first, second, or third year post-surgery."
#Orthobond #Implants #MedicalDevices #OperatingRoom #Hospitals