Efficacy of safety catheter devices in the prevention of occupational needlestick injuries: applied research in the Liguria Region (Italy).

Healthcare workers who use or may be exposed to needles are at risk of needlestick injuries, which can lead to serious infections by bloodborne pathogens. These injuries can be avoided by eliminating the unnecessary use of needles and using safety devices. The present study was aimed at evaluating the impact of a safety-engineered device, with passive fully automatic needlestick protection, on the rate of needlestick injuries among healthcare workers. The setting of the study was a network of five public healthcare institutions situated in a Northern Italian Region. Data on the type of device, the number of employees and the number of catheter devices used per year were collected through regular meetings with healthcare workers over a period of five years. The most notable result of this study was the huge risk reduction associated with safety devices. Indeed, the risk of needlestick injuries due to conventional devices was found to be 25-fold higher than that observed for safety devices. However, it is noteworthy that a considerable part of this excess can be explained by the different background number of devices used. Moreover, descriptive analysis suggested that individuals with a poor/moderate training level had a lower risk than those with good/high training, though the difference was not statistically significant. In conclusion, there is convincing evidence of a causal connection between the introduction of safety devices and the reduction in needlestick injuries. This consideration should prompt the introduction of safety devices into daily clinical practice.

Perfusion techniques for minimally invasive valve procedures.

In this paper, we present, in detail, the simplified perfusion technique that we have adopted since January 2009 and that we have utilized in 200 cases for cardiac minimally invasive valvular procedures that were performed through a right lateral mini-thoracotomy in the 3(rd)-4(th) intercostal space. Cardiopulmonary bypass was achieved by means of the direct cannulation of the ascending aorta and the insertion of a percutaneous venous cannula in the femoral vein. A flexible aortic cross-clamp was applied through the skin incision and cardioplegic arrest was obtained with the antegrade delivery of a crystalloid solution. Gravity drainage was enhanced by vacuum-assisted aspiration. There were no technical complications related to this perfusion technique that we have adopted in minimally invasive surgical procedures.

[Peculiarity of the occupational physician]. / Peculiarità del ruolo del medico competente del settore sanità.

Aim of this contribution is to consider, although in a concise way, the peculiarity of the Occupational Physician's activity operating in Health care sector, that employs about 5% of Italian workers. Particularly, we bring into focus the global roll that the Occupational Physician must fulfil in a reality where he is the protagonist towards the safeguard of the worker's safe, already submitted to several occupational risks, and about the safety of the third parties, which is more important than in other sectors. Shared elaboration in this article shows that Occupational Physician of the Health care sector has the same problems and expectations everywhere, in our Country.

[Evaluation of a series of serum mesothelin in patients with pleural malignant mesothelioma]. / Valutazione di dosaggi seriati di mesotelina sierica in pazienti affetti da mesotelioma maligno della pleura.

Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma (MM) is a highly aggressive neoplasm with a poor survival rate, hard diagnosis and treatment. The incidence of MM in Western Europe countries is expected to increase drammatically in the next 10-15 years. In spite of this drammatic scenario, at this time the only instruments for screening and early diagnosis are based on radiological tests with evident ethical and economical problems. For this reason, some authors are evaluating biological indicators with the significance of screening and early diagnosis markers. One of the most promising marker is serum mesothelin (SMRP). SMRP levels appeares to be significantly related to MM and its clinical (diagnostic/prognostic) usefulnes has been suggested. The purpose of this research is to show SMRP trend in relation both to the course of the disease and the response to therapies in some Epithelioid MM patients. The analysis of SMRP levels in these patients suggests that it may be a useful marker for monitoring the response to treatment. In fact, it was observed that SMRP increases in patients who did not respond to therapy, it tends to remain stable when therapies results into a clinical stabilization, while it decreases after surgical procedure and in case of clinical improvement.