| Over 1 million percutaneous injuries are reported every year.1 In
addition, needlestick injury is the most efficient route of transmission of infectious
agents to healthcare workers.2 The results of various studies which
examine the causes of percutaneous injuries are listed below.
A 1988 study3 of 1,201 healthcare workers with blood exposures found
that 80% of the exposures were due to needlestick injuries. The exposures were caused by:
- recapping needles by hand 17%
- improperly disposed sharps 14%
- exposing open wounds to sources of contamination 6%
- manipulating IV, phlebotomy or arterial needles 36%
- during an invasive procedure 8%
- autopsy 2%, and
- other procedures 17%
Percutaneous injuries have been reported4 during 1%-15% of surgical
procedures, mostly associated with suturing. Phlebotomy has been associated with 13%-62%
of injuries reported to hospital employee health services and with 20 documented cases of
occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus reported in the United States5.
Sources:
1. Congressional hearing report. Healthcare Worker Safety and
needlestick Injuries. Feb. 1992.
2. Centers for Disease Control. MMWR. 37:377-388, June 24, 198.
3. Marcus and CDC Cooperative Needlestick Surveillance Group 1988
4. McCormick RD, et al. Epidemiology of hospital sharps injuries: a 14 year prospective
study in the pre-AIDS and AIDS eras. Am J Med 1991;91 (suppl 3B): 3B-301S-38-307S
5. McGeer A, Simor AE, Low DE. Epidemiology of needlestick injuries in house officers. J
Infect Dis 1990; 162:961-4
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