Controlling infection potentials when passing surgical instruments

1. Recent research suggests that percutaneous injury occurs in 6.9% of observed surgical procedures. This finding indicates that percutaneous injuries occur often during surgery, placing OR personnel at risk for infection potential with bloodborne pathogens. 2. One approach to reducing the risk of injury with contaminated sharps is to introduce a change in the normal method of passing sharps. A new method, the "hands-free" technique, focuses on the safety of the OR professional without disrupting the established routine of the operating room. This new technique is designed to reduce the number of "collisions" between sharps and OR professionals. 3. Caution and staff education are important during any attempt to use hands-free instrument passing techniques in an OR setting. The hands-free technique of passing sharps should be practiced until all members of the surgical team have a high degree of comfort using it.