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Accidental blood contact during orthopedic surgical procedures

A C Folin1, G M Nordström

  • 1Nursing Research Unit, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.

A questionnaire study was carried out of all orthopedic surgical procedures in the operating rooms of a teaching hospital over an 8-week period to describe the frequency and circumstances of accidental blood contact. Blood exposure occurred in 11% of the procedures. Contamination of intact skin was the most common incident (79%); percutaneous injury occurred in 13%. The majority of the incidents were believed to be preventable.

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