Safety agencies issue warning on suture needles
OSHA Healthcare Connection, April 17, 2007
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Warning surgical staff about the high risk of suture needlesticks when safer devices are readily available, OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health last week issued a safety and health information bulletin (SHIB): Use of Blunt-Tip Suture Needles to Decrease Percutaneous Injuries to Surgical Personnel.
"Sharp-tip suture needles are the leading source of percutaneous injuries to surgical personnel, causing 51% to 77% of these incidents," according to the document. They not only present hazards to staff, "but also present a risk to patients from potential exposure to injured staff's blood."
While the SHIB strongly recommends blunt-tip needles to suture muscle and fascia, it recognizes that the safety devices are not feasible in all situations, as when suturing skin, bowel, and blood vessels.
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