Percutaneous Injuries With Sharp Instruments and the Behavior of Anesthesiologists and Obstetricians in Regard to the...

Health care workers are at risk of acquiring several infectious diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, from percutaneous injuries with contaminated needles and sharp instruments. A survey among anesthesiologists and obstetricians in a Brazilian town assessed their risk of these injuries and their behavior toward prophylaxis. Both anesthesiologists and obstetricians tended to be more adherent to universal precautions when caring for patients with known HIV positive status, although the difference was statistically significant only for the use of goggles. Of those surveyed, 80% of the obstetricians and 65% of anesthesiologists had at least 1 episode of injury with a needle or sharp instrument in the last 12 months. Injuries were mostly from syringe needles (88.9%) among the anesthesiologists, and from suture needles (56.9%) among the obstetricians. The annual risk of injury was much higher among obstetricians (2 per 100 procedures) than among anesthesiologists (11 per 10,000 anesthesias and 17 per 10,000 venous punctures/intravenous catheterizations). The majority of the anesthesiologists and obstetricians referred for vaccination against hepatitis B received the vaccine as post-exposure prophylaxis. Promoting recognition of percutaneous injuries with sharp instruments among health care workers as an important occupational health problem, distribution of information on methods to prevent such injuries, and when to immunize are objectives yet to be achieved to prevent the transmission of infection by HIV and other microbes. Proper assessment of a number of new devices, techniques, and protective equipment may result in more effective preventive measures in the future.