UCH Researchers Study Shot To Stop Staph Infections
By Kathy Walsh
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A staph infection after surgery can be serious, even fatal. According to data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), patients who get a staph infection in the hospital have five times the risk of dying in the hospital.
Now, researchers at University of Colorado Hospital are taking part in a clinical trial testing a vaccine to prevent staph infections.
Carolyn Anderson, a professor at the University of Wyoming, is a participant. She is scheduled for an operation in July. She's hoping doctors can fix her back.
"It's incredibly painful and it's become more so. It really limits mobility," Anderson told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
As part of her preparation for the spinal surgery, Anderson got a vaccination. The vaccine is designed by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company to fight the type of bacteria know as staphylococcus aureus.
About 30 percent of people carry staph in their noses. Everybody has some staph on their bodies. Most of the time, staph is harmless, but it can cause bloodstream infections and pneumonia and be resistant to antibiotics.
The concern is up to 3 percent of spinal surgery patients get a staph infection after surgery.
"It can lead to chronic infection. It can require additional surgeries to clean it up to get rid of the infection," said Dr. Vik Patel, Professor and Chief of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at UCH. "It can be deadly, too."
Patel joined the clinical trial to test the Pfizer vaccine. The hope is it will stimulate the immune system to fight against the bug.
"The expectation in my mind would be that if it works, why not use it for all surgeries?" said Patel.
Anderson is happy to take part in the study.
"If it works, it's really great. And even if it doesn't work, it's still a necessary thing to know one way or another," Anderson said.
The Pfizer vaccine has been more than 15 years in development. The study is expected to be completed in 2017.
This study is supported through the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. (CCTSI).
Kathy Walsh is CBS4's Weekend Anchor and Health Specialist. She has been with CBS4 for more than 30 years. She is always open to story ideas. Follow Kathy on Twitter @WalshCBS4.
