A study on the management of needle-stick and sharps injuries based on total quality management in a tertiary hospital in western China.

OBJECTIVE: Based on the concept of total quality management, the practice of managing needle-stick and sharps injuries was analyzed to improve nursing quality. METHODS: Using total quality management, an improvement plan was completed. Standard operating procedures for infusion therapy and monitoring of the circulatory system were made to reduce the utilization of winged metal needles and the frequency of needle-stick injuries. From 2015 to 2018, four cross-sectional surveys were conducted on the use of winged metal needles, peripheral intravenous catheters, central venous catheters, peripherally inserted central catheters, and implantable venous access ports and the status of needle-stick and sharps injuries in our hospital during the 4 years. RESULTS: Four cross-sectional surveys showed that the percentage of winged metal needle utilization decreased significantly from 13% to 0.5%, and that of peripheral intravenous catheters increased from 77% to 87%. Zero tolerance of winged metal needles increased from 33 to 60 nursing units, an improvement rate of 81.82%. The number of needle-stick injuries decreased from 71 to 21, a decrease of 70.42%. Needle-stick injuries occurred mainly during waste disposal (34.71%) and needle withdrawal (18.18%) and when recapping needles (9.92%). CONCLUSION: Based on total quality management, the implementation of zero tolerance of winged metal needles is much better. The use of winged metal needles and the incidence of needle-stick injuries are reduced. Total quality management is of great clinical value in preventing needle-stick injuries.

Needlestick-Associated Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Brazil.

We report a fatal case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in a man in Brazil without recent history of tick bites or environmental exposure. He received an accidental needlestick while working as a nurse. The nurse and his patient died. Both cases were confirmed as RMSF by molecular methods.

Proximally Based Split Abductor Hallucis Turnover Flap for Medial Hindfoot Reconstruction: A Case Report.

Limited reconstructive options exist for soft tissue defects of the foot and ankle because of a lack of surrounding tissue. Although microsurgical free flaps have become a popular treatment modality for this anatomic region, pedicled muscle flaps can provide robust coverage of small foot wounds with significantly less donor site comorbidity. One such muscle is the abductor hallucis, which can be used as a proximally based turnover flap to cover medial hindfoot defects. However, complete distal disinsertion of the muscle may lead to loss of support over the medial arch and first metatarsophalangeal joint, leading to pes planus and hallux valgus. In this case report, we describe a modified technique of a split abductor hallucis turnover flap for a young patient with a chronic, traumatic medial heel wound complicated by calcaneal osteomyelitis. By preserving part of the muscle's distal tendinous attachment, this technique allows for adequate soft tissue coverage while maintaining long-term biomechanical function.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare professionals regarding infection prevention at Gondar University referral hospital, northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Workplace health and safety is vital in every organization particularly in the healthcare settings. The aim was to assess the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practices of the healthcare professionals towards safety at Gondar University referral hospital. An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to June 2018. Proportional random sampling technique was used to include 282 study participants and data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: Among 282 study participants, 230 (81.6%), 181 (64.2%), and 162 (57.4%) had adequate knowledge, favorable attitude, and adequate practice scores, respectively. More than half (55.3%) of the study participants were untrained. There was a high (26.6%) prevalence of needlestick injury; however, the use of post-exposure prophylaxis after potential exposures was very limited. Generally, the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice scores among the study participants were low. Therefore, there should be adequate and consistent supply of personal protective devices and other materials used for infection prevention and control. In addition, there should be awareness raising mechanism, including the provision of job aids and periodic training. Further, comprehensive studies should be conducted by including different types and levels of health facilities.

Fabricated or induced illness in twins associated with insertion of trocar needles into their bodies.

Fabricated and/or induced illness (previously known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy) is a form of child abuse in which the perpetrator induces, exaggerates or fabricates illness in his/her child. Two-month-old twins were referred to the paediatric surgery centre with trocar needles lodged in different organs. A radiograph undertaken in one of them because of acute respiratory distress demonstrated needles in the heart and diaphragm which were removed surgically. The second twin, referred one week after his brother, had a needle deep in his liver and it was decided not to operate owing to the possibility of haemorrhage but, sadly, he died unexpectedly and the autopsy concluded that it was owing to sudden infant death syndrome. Because of a number of admissions to different units in the same hospital, there was a delay in the eventual diagnosis. Recurrent admissions to different hospital units should raise the suspicion of fabricated and/or induced illness.

The ability of a real-time injection pressure monitoring system to discriminate between perineural and intraneural injection of the sciatic nerve in fresh cadavers.

Injection pressure monitoring provides valuable information to prevent intraneural injections and possibly consequent nerve damage during peripheral nerve block. However, the measurement of injection pressure along the injection line is inaccurate as it is influenced by several variables. The aim of this study was to test a new system for precise injection pressure monitoring at the needle tip in a cadaveric model. The system consists of a miniaturised pressure sensor embedded within the needle shaft that is connected via an optical fibre to an external control unit. In order to test the capacity of the system to discriminate between perineural and intraneural injections, a total of 24 ultrasound-guided injections at various locations of the sciatic nerve (12 perineural and 12 intraneural) were performed in fresh cadavers. The injections were delivered at a constant rate by an electronic pump (5 ml saline at 10 ml.min-1 ). Two perineural and two intraneural injections were excluded from analysis, since the operator could not confirm the exact needle-tip location. Mean (SD) peak injection pressure was significantly lower for perineural compared with intraneural injections (14 (6) kPa vs. 131 (56) kPa; p < 0.001). This study shows that this system is a reliable method to accurately monitor injection pressure at the needle tip, allowing for discrimination between perineural and intraneural injections of the sciatic nerve in fresh cadavers.

Malaria following a blood exposure accident: about a case.

Each year, hundreds of cases of malaria are reported in Morocco and occur after anopheles in patients who have stayed in endemic areas, but transmission following an accident of exposure to blood is rare or exceptional, only about 20 cases are published. We report a case of malaria in a nursing staff following an accidental sting with a catheter needle.

Displacement of a Broken Dental Injection Needle Into the Perivertebral Space.

Dental injection needle breakage is an uncommon problem in dental practice. Displacement of the broken fragment into anatomical spaces is, on the other hand, a serious complication that occurs most commonly during inferior alveolar nerve blocks as a result of material wear, incorrect application of the anesthesia technique, or sudden movement of the patient during injection. Further complications such as infection, trismus, and nerve paralysis may exacerbate the condition and, if not treated adequately, life-threatening conditions may develop over time as the fragment dislodges deeper in soft tissues. Clinical symptoms of the patient, as well as the findings gathered from detailed physical examination and radiographic evaluation, are important factors to consider before performing an exploratory surgery. Removal of a broken needle may be troublesome due to its proximity to vital anatomic structures. Multislice computed tomography is a reliable imaging modality that provides accurate information to pinpoint the exact location of the needle fragment.This report describes a case of needle breakage occurred during inferior alveolar nerve block which was performed to extract a third molar tooth and the migration of the broken fragment from the right mandibular ramus area into the perivertebral space, with special emphasis on the surgical retrieval technique with multiplanar computed tomography imaging guidance.

Needlestick Injuries in Interventional Radiology Are Common and Underreported.

Purpose To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for needlesticks in interventional radiology physicians, as well as the attitudes, behaviors, and conditions that promote or interfere with reporting of these injuries. Materials and Methods A total of 3889 interventional radiologists from academic and private practice in the United States were surveyed by emailing all interventional radiologist members of the Society of Interventional Radiology, including attending-level physicians and trainees (April-August 2016). The institutional review board waived the need for consent. Questions inquired about the nature, frequency, and type of needlestick and sharps injuries and whether and to whom these incidents were reported. Stepwise regression was used to determine variables predicting whether injuries were reported. Results In total, 908 (23%) interventional radiologists completed at least a portion of the survey. Eight hundred fourteen (91%) of 895 respondents reported a prior needlestick injury, 583 (35%) of 895 reported at least one injury while treating an HIV-positive patient, and 626 (71%) of 884 reported prior training regarding needlestick injury. There was, on average, one needlestick for every 5 years of practice. Most needlestick or sharps injuries were self inflicted (711 [87%] of 817) and involved a hollow-bore device (464 [56%] of 824). Only 566 (66%) of 850 injuries were reported. The most common reasons for not reporting included perceived lack of utility of reporting (79 [28%] of 282), perceived low risk for injury (56 [20%] of 282), noncontaminated needle (53 [19%] of 282), too-lengthy reporting process (37 [13%] of 282), and associated stigma (23 [8%] of 282). Only 156 (25%) of 624 respondents informed their significant other. Stepwise regression assessing variables affecting the likelihood of reporting showed that male sex (P = .009), low-risk patient (P < .0001), self injury (P = .010), trainee status (P < .0001), and the total number of prior injuries (P = .019) were independent predictors of not reporting. Conclusion Needlestick injuries are ubiquitous among interventional radiologists and are often not reported. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Seroconversion rates among health care workers exposed to hepatitis C virus-contaminated body fluids: The University of Pittsburgh 13-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission to health care personnel (HCP) after exposure to a HCV-positive source has been reported to occur at an average rate of 1.8% (range, 0%-10%). We aimed to determine the seroconversion rate after exposure to HCV-contaminated body fluid in a major U.S. academic medical center. METHODS: A longitudinal analysis of a prospectively maintained database of reported occupational injuries occurring between 2002 and 2015 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was performed. Data collected include type of injury and fluid, injured body part, contamination of sharps, resident physicians' involvement, and patients' hepatitis B virus (HBV), HCV, and HIV status. RESULTS: A total of 1,361 cases were included in the study. Most exposures were caused by percutaneous injuries (65.0%), followed by mucocutaneous injuries (33.7%). Most (63.3%) were injuries to the hand, followed by the face and neck (27.6%). Blood exposure accounted for 72.7%, and blood-containing saliva accounted for 3.4%. A total of 6.9% and 3.7% of source patients were coinfected with HIV and HBV, respectively. The HCV seroconversion rate was 0.1% (n = 2) because of blood exposure secondary to percutaneous injuries. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the largest and most recent cohort from a major U.S. academic medical center. The seroconversion rates among HCP exposed to HCV-contaminated body fluids was found to be lower than most of the data found in the literature.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa endophthalmitis caused by accidental iatrogenic ocular injury with a hypodermic needle.

Iatrogenic traumatic endophthalmitis is a rare but serious ocular infection that can lead to severe vision loss. A 44-year-old man presented with pain and decreased vision in the right eye 4 hours after injury with a hypodermic needle during irrigation of his eye. Slit-lamp examination revealed a penetrating corneal puncture and iris hole in the right eye. Twenty hours later, his visual acuity had decreased to hand motion, and severe fibrinoid uveitis was noted. He immediately underwent irrigation of the anterior chamber and intravitreal antibiotic injection. The right eye became painful again, and emergent vitrectomy combined with lensectomy was performed along with intravitreal antibiotic administration. The patient remained stable during the 2-month follow-up. Standard practice should be adopted when irrigating the eye to prevent this type of injury, and emergent surgical intervention is very important to preserve visual function.

Hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis after inadvertent intraocular perforation with gentamycin injection.

PURPOSE: To report a case of hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis (HORV) secondary to intraocular toxicity due to inadvertent intraocular injection of gentamycin. METHODS: A 21-year-old woman was referred to our department because of severe ocular pain and sudden visual loss in her left eye after she received a subconjunctival gentamycin injection for chronic infectious keratitis. RESULTS: At presentation, best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and counting fingers in the left eye. Fundus examination showed diffuse intraretinal and perivascular hemorrhages, vascular cuffing, white-centered hemorrhages, and diffuse retinal edema. Fluorescein angiography confirmed occlusive retinal vasculitis with capillary nonperfusion and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography revealed ischemic macular edema. The clinical diagnosis was compatible with HORV secondary to retinal toxicity due to high dose of intraocular gentamycin. CONCLUSIONS: We report a case of HORV secondary to inadvertent subconjunctival gentamycin injection. Ocular perforation and high dose of intravitreal gentamycin administration should be considered as a potential cause of HORV following subconjunctival injection.