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Background
Round-tipped blunt needle (BN) may decrease the risk of needlestick injuries and hand
contamination. We prospectively determined the incidence of glove perforations in
emergency abdominal procedures and the efficacy of BN in increasing the safety for
surgeons.
Methods
Two hundred patients were randomized to undergo closure of the abdominal fascia using
sharp needle (SN) or BN. Gloves were tested at the end of the procedure. results:
Surgeons had 14 needlestick injuries and 76 perforations recorded in 69 pair of gloves.
Sharp needles were responsible for all injuries and 58 (76%) perforations (P <0.00004 and P <0.00001, respectively). This difference was still higher when considering the perforations
related to the abdominal fascia closure (BN 7% versus SN 50%; P <0.0006).
Conclusion
The risk of glove perforation is sevenfold greater if SN are used. Blunt needles reduce
sharp injuries and improve safety for surgeons.
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Article info
Footnotes
**Presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Surgical Congress, Scottsdale, Arizona, April 28–May 1, 1996.
Identification
Copyright
© 1996 Excerpta Medica, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Inc.
