Center posts fact sheet on suture-needle injuries
OSHA Healthcare Connection, August 22, 2006
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Suture needles that cause percutaneous injuries to healthcare workers are the primary source of exposures during surgical procedures, according to a new fact sheet posted on the International Healthcare Worker Safety Center Web site.
The fact sheet pegs suture-needles as the source of 51% of percutaneous injuries, far outstripping the second-place cause of scalpels at 12%.
If an infection does not occur from the exposure, the average follow-up cost is $672. At 54,000 percutaneous suture-needle injuries a year, that adds up to a $36.3 million a year tab for healthcare facilities, the fact sheet says.
The Center is affiliated with the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. Its mission is to help protect healthcare workers from the daily risk of contracting life-threatening occupational infections.
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