Needlestick Injuries

Healthcare workers have a small risk of occupationally acquiring HIV, mostly through accidental injury, most often, percutaneous needlestick injury. 

Antiretroviral drugs may also be used in combination to reduce the risks of acquisition of HIV from accidental needlestick injuries from HIV-contaminated sharps such as needles. The decision to offer this postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), and the optimal combination of drugs used, should be made by experts and administration must begin rapidly (within a few hours of the injury). 

Hepatitis B immunoglobulin (pooled plasma selected for high titres of antibodies to the virus) provides passive immunity for post-exposure prophylaxis e.g. after accidental needlestick injury. 

Postexposure prophylactic measures are, in contrast, of tremendous practical significance. This is true for the HBV infection of non-immune persons in the medical field as well as in everyday life (e.g. needlestick injury, swallowing infectious material, sexual contact, prevention of reinfection following liver transplantation). All preventive measures must be complemented by concur-... 

Medical personnel Infection can be caused by way of needlestick injury TTi, 316, 323, 352, 388, 399) or percutane-ously, or the route of transmission may remain... 

More expensive and costly to produce Potential for infection at site of injection Potential for sepsis Potential for thrombophlebitis Potential for fluid overload Potential for air embolism Potential for extravasation Psychological distress by the patient Require specialized equipment, devices, and techniques to prepare and administer drugs Potential for pain upon injection Potential for tissue damage upon injection Risk of needlestick injuries and exposure to blood-borne pathogens by health care worker Increased morbidity associated with long-term vascular access devices Disposal of needles, syringes, and other infusion devices requires special consideration... 

Whereas the compounding and administration of parenteral products and intravenous admixtures continues to be a vital and important component in the care of hospitalized and home health care patients, there is continued interest in easing the preparation, storage, and administration of these products with respect to controlling contamination of the finished product and protecting the health care providers from needlestick injuries. It is estimated that more than... 

A needlestick injury is sustained by a health care worker, and the blood is known to contain HBV surface antigens. The health care worker should be given... 

A patient taking amiodarone 200 mg daily was also given zidovudine, lamivudine, and indinavir for4 weeks, as post HIV-exposure prophylaxis after a needlestick injury. Amiodarone serum levels increased, from... 

Smith, D.R., Muto, T., Sairenchi, T, Ishikawa, Y., Sayama, S., Yoshida, A. and Townley-Jones, M. 2010. Hospital safety elimate, psychosocial risk factors and needlestick injuries in Japan. Industrial Health, 48, 85-95. 

Health Care Worker Musculoskeletal and Needlestick Injuries and Latex Allergy... 

Needlestick injuries occur quite frequently among health care workers when they draw blood, administer an intravenous or intramuscular drug. 

Each year around 800,000 needlestick injuries occur in the United States [1,12,13]. 

Each year more than 1000 workers in the area of health care in the United States will contract a serious infection such as HIV or hepatitis B or C virus from needlestick injuries [12]. 

In an average-size hospital in the United States, health care workers incur around 30 needlestick injuries per 100 beds per year [12]. 

Nurses incur most needlestick injuries. Specifically, 54% of reported needlestick and sharp-object-related injuries involve the nursing staff [12,13]. 

Each year needlestick injuries cause around 66,000 hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, 16,000 HCV infections, and 1000 HIV infections worldwide [14]. 

Because needlestick injuries were a pressing problem, the US. Congress passed the Federal Needlestick Safety Act in 2000. This act not only requires employers to make safer needles available to health care workers but also requires employers to solicit the input of frontline health care workers when making needle purchasing-related decisions. 

List at least five facts and figures directly or indirectly concerned with the needlestick injuries of health care workers. 

Methods and engineering innovations to prevent needlestick injuries... 

Other recordable cases include work-related cancer, chronic irreversible disease, a fracture or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum. There are also needlestick injuries, cuts from a sharp object contaminated with another person s blood or potentially other infectious materials, tuberculosis infection after exposure to a known case of active tuberculosis, and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Table 8-1 lists definitions for types of recordable cases. Figure 8-1 is a decision chart for deciding if a case is recordable. 

Oksenhendler E, et al. (1986) HIV infection with seroconversion after a superficial needlestick injury to the finger. N Engl J Med 315 582... 

Percutaneous injuries can result from needlestick injury, cuts or abrasions from contaminated items. These exposures are particularly serious because of the potential for immediate entry of the solution into a bloodstream. Hazards are not only related to toxic substances but also to micro-organisms. AU sharps items should be handled and disposed of as noted in Directive 2010/32/EU (see Sect. 26.10). 

Wicker S, Rabenau H (2012) Impact of SEDs on the reduction of needlestick injuries. Hosp Pharm Eur 65 13-15... 

I (a) Basic requirement. You must record all work-related needlestick injuries and cuts from sharp objects that are contaminated with another person s blood or other potentially infectious material (as defined by 29 CFR 1910.1030). You must enter the case on the OSHA 300 Log as an injury. To protect the... 

Needlestick injuries and cuts from sharp objects that are contaminated with another person s blood or other potentially infectious material and... 

Smith, A.J., Cameron, S.O. Kennedy, D. 2001. Management of needlestick injuries in general dental practice. Br/t Dent /190(12) 645-650. 

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