Surgical Procedure Characteristics and Risk of Sharps-Related Blood and Body Fluid Exposure

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Infection Control
• Surgical Safety

Background:

• Percutaneous blood and body fluid (BBF) exposures pose a significant risk to healthcare workers.
• Understanding risk factors in the operating room (OR) is crucial for implementing effective preventive strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the incidence and risk factors of percutaneous BBF exposures during surgical procedures.
• To investigate potential differences in risk factors between suture needle-related and other device-related BBF exposures.

Main Methods:

• A 10-year retrospective cohort study analyzing 333,073 surgical procedures and 2,113 reported BBF exposures.
• Poisson regression was employed to identify risk factors, adjusting for procedure duration.
• BBF exposures were analyzed separately for suture needles versus other devices.

Main Results:

• The overall BBF exposure rate was 6.3 per 1,000 procedures (2.9 per 1,000 hours).
• Increased exposure rates correlated with higher patient blood loss, more personnel in the OR, and longer procedure durations.
• Risk factor associations were generally stronger for suture needle-related exposures.

Conclusions:

• Findings align with existing literature on BBF exposure risks in surgical settings.
• Further research is recommended to explore distinct risk factors for suture needle-related BBF exposures compared to other device types.