EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SHARP OBJECT INJURIES IN A CHILDRENS-HOSPITAL

Background. Limited data exist on the frequency, circumstances and man agement of sharp object injuries (SOIs) in pediatric facilities, Metho d, SOIs reported at a large children's hospital during a a-year period were reviewed, Results, One hundred thirteen SOIs were reported for a n average of 6 injuries per 100 employees per year, The greatest numbe r of injuries occurred among nurses (46%) and physicians (23%), but ph lebotomists experienced the highest rate (25.5 injuries per 100 full t ime equivalent employees per year), Most common locations were the pat ient room (27%), operating room (25%) and intensive care units (17%), Needles accounted for 71% of injuries and procedural devices accounted for 22%, Forty-eight percent of injuries occurred during use of the i tem, 42% after use or during disposal and 7% after disposal, Twenty pe rcent were associated with loose sharps and 15% with inadvertent patie nt movement, Only 2 injuries were associated with recapping, Eighty-ei ght percent of the objects were contaminated with blood or body fluid, Of 88 known source patients 1 tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, 2 for hepatitis C virus and none for HIV. One hundred four e mployees sought treatment: 36 received tetanus vaccine; 14 received he patitis B vaccine; 9 received hepatitis B immunoglobulin; and 12 recei ved zidovudine, No employee subsequently tested positive for HIV, hepa titis B virus, or hepatitis C virus, Conclusions, SOIs represent a fre quent occurrence among pediatric health care workers, Minimizing the u se of sharps, appropriately restraining patients during procedures and promptly disposing of sharp items after use might decrease the freque ncy of SOIs.