PERCUTANEOUS INJURIES IN ANESTHESIA PERSONNEL

Anesthesia personnel are at risk for occupationally acquired blood-bor ne infections from human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis viruses, an d others after percutaneous exposures to infected blood or body fluids . The risk is greater after an infected, blood-contaminated, percutane ous injury, especially from a hollow-bore blood-filled needle, than fr om other types of exposures. Few data are available on the specific oc cupational hazards to anesthesia personnel from needles and other shar p devices. Fifty-eight percutaneous injuries (PIs) from anesthesia per sonnel in nine hospitals were analyzed. Thirty-nine of 58 PIs were fro m contaminated devices (all needles), and 19 were from uncontaminated devices or of unknown contamination status. Forty-three percent of con taminated percutaneous injuries (CPI) were classified as moderate (som e bleeding) or severe (deep injury with profuse bleeding), and most we re to health-care workers' hands. Fifty-nine percent of CPI were poten tially preventable. Eighty-seven percent of CPI were from hollow-bore needles, and 68% of these were potentially preventable. The largest ca tegories of devices causing CPI were needle on syringe, intravenous (I V) or arterial catheter needle-stylet, suture needle, and standard hol low-bore needle for secondary IV infusion. Most CPI occurred between s teps of a multistep procedure (8%), were recapping related (13%), or o ccurred at other times after use (41%). No CPI were reported from use of needlestick-prevention safety devices. The devices and mechanisms o f injury identified in this study provide specific data that may lead to prevention strategies to reduce the risk of PI.