Transmission of hepatitis B with resultant restriction of surgical practice

Five patients developed acute hepatitis B (HB) within four months after major operations by the same obstetric-gynecologic surgeon. Investigation documented that the surgeon was HB surface antigen and HB e antigen positive; all five patients had an HB subtype matching that of the surgeon and no other identifiable risk factors for HB viral infection. A seroprevalence study comparing exposed surgical and obstetric patients with a control group showed no significant additional subclinical HB transmission. The surgeon resumed his surgical practice but was required to obtain written informed consent from patients, to double-glove, and to employ appropriate surgical techniques to avoid self-injury. Seven months later, acute HB occurred in a patient two months after a cesarean section, resulting in exclusion of the surgeon from major operations. This is the fifth outbreak of nosocomial HB linked to an obstetric-gynecologic surgeon, and it reinforces the need for health care workers to receive preexposure prophylaxis with HB vaccine to prevent such occurrences.