Sharps inflicting increased wounds in the OR
Injuries from needlesticks—whether from disposable syringes, IV catheters, or blood collection devices—accounted for more than 30% of all sharps injuries in 2016, especially among nurses. Injuries from skin injections alone accounted for 25.7% of all sharps injuries that year. And, for the first time, injuries occurring from suturing during procedures…
FDA: US will no longer perform Zika tests on individual blood donations
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on July 6 announced that individual blood donations no longer need to be screened for Zika virus, “unless there is an increased risk of local mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus in a specific geographic area that would trigger individual donation testing in…
Washington nurse suspected of infecting two patients with hepatitis C
Editor's Note An emergency department (ED) nurse at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington, who was suspected of stealing injectable drugs and infecting at least two patients with hepatitis C, has now contracted the disease herself, the May 1 News Tribune reports. The linkage between the nurse and the…
Changes in prevalence of needlestick injuries, protection practices, and attitudes over 12 years
Editor's Note Though needlestick injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens continue to be significant hazards for surgeons and nurses, concern about risk is declining, and the true conversion risk is underestimated, this study finds. A survey was distributed to 358 medical students and 247 department of surgery staff at an…
Study: Restrictive vs liberal blood transfusion outcomes in cardiac surgery patients
Editor's Note A restrictive blood transfusion strategy (HGB <7.5 g/dL) was equivalent to a liberal strategy (HGB <9.5 g/dL in the OR or ICU and HGB<8.5 g/dL in the non-ICU ward) with regard to mortality and major disability in cardiac surgery patients who had a moderate-to-high risk of death, this…
Joint Commission updates Patient Blood Management standards
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 8 announced the update of its Patient Blood Management standards to align with AABB standards. Among the changes: educational requirements for those who order and/or transfuse blood defined guidelines on transfusion orders procedures for emergent/urgent patients, including massive blood loss intraoperative methods for…
CDC: 20-fold increase in Zika-associated birth defects
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported March 2 that the proportion of US pregnancies with Zika-associated birth defects is approximately 20 times higher than it was before introduction of the virus into the US. Between January 15 and September 22, 2016, the US Zika Pregnancy…
Study: Needlestick injury prevalence, attitude changes, prevention practices
Editor's Note Needlestick injury and occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens are significant hazards for surgeons and nurses, attitudes about risks are changing, and the true seroconversion risk is underestimated, this study finds. A total of 358 medical students and 247 surgery staff were surveyed, and results were compared with 2003…
Rigorous reprocessing doesn’t free scopes of contamination
Editor's Note This study by Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, and associates found that more rigorous reprocessing was not consistently effective in freeing endoscopes of contamination, and many had scratches and dents that could harbor blood, tissue, and bacteria. Even after reprocessing using current guidelines or additional measures, 12 of 20…
Zika virus may be transmitted in sweat and tears
Editor's Note Physicians at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, announced on September 28 that the Zika virus may be transmitted in sweat and tears, NBC News reports. The case of a Utah man who infected his 38-year old son before he died in July leaves…
