Emergency department management of blood and body fluid exposures

Exposure to blood and body fluids that may be contaminated with infectious agents is a common occupational hazard for health care workers. Health care workers in the emergency department or out-of-hospital setting are at espe cially high risk for exposure to blood or body fluids. Nonemergency health care workers are frequently referred to hospital EDs for immediate treatmen t of occupation exposures. A series of recommendations by the Centers for D isease Control and Prevention evolved over the past decade, and changes are expected to continue. This state-of the-art article reviews current recomm endations for management of persons exposed to blood or body fluids and dis cusses the scientific basis for recommendations regarding hepatitis B virus , hepatitis C virus, and HIV.