EYE SPLASHES DURING INVASIVE VASCULAR PROCEDURES

In recent years there has been an increased awareness among health car e workers regarding possible risk of nosocomial transmission of blood borne pathogens. The aim of this study is to document the risk of cont amination of radiologists' eyes during invasive Vascular procedures. R adiologists performing these examinations were asked to wear glasses t hroughout. After each examination the glasses were inspected for dropl ets. 150 procedures were performed on 123 patients (M=80, F=43). 10 pr ocedures (6.7%) resulted in splashes to glasses. In four of these case s the radiologist was not aware of the ''eye splash'' nor was there a spray event to account for it. Radiologists were aware of 13 spray eve nts (8.7% of all procedures). There was a significantly increased risk of spray events and eye splashes during thrombolysis (chi(2) = 14.93, p < 0.001) and of spray events during angioplasty when compared with perfemoral arteriography (chi(2) = 8.816, p < 0.01). Procedures lastin g longer than 30 min were associated with a significantly increased ri sk of spray events (chi(2) = 5.63, p < 0.02). Significantly more eye s plashes were associated with more than two catheter changes (chi(2) = 8.912, p < 0.01). It is suggested that protective eye wear should be u sed routinely during invasive vascular procedures.