How common are needle sticks in the OR?

grimmy, RN · Apr 28, 2005

thanks for the responses. i'd never thought about getting stuck with things other than needles and blades (ie bone chips). i'm glad to hear it doesn't seem like it is as common a thing as i'd heard, although i'm sure the likelihood increases in the chaos of an emergency situation. maybe as you are working with so many sharps it is consciously in your head to be so careful. i had a needle stick on orientation at my first job while being extremely nervous and trying to start an iv. hope it's my only one!

many of the instruments are sharp, particularly things that are made to shave off bone (like elevators) and the smaller things, like the tips of micro-bipolars, can be pretty sharp simply because they're tiny.

i think that accidents happen when the system for safety breaks down (when you're in a hurry, there are new residents in the or, new equipment, fatigue, etc.) or when there's a malfunction in the equipment. when i cut myself on that weck blade, i'll admit i felt rushed by the residents who were not enamored of cutting down the burn on this patient. burn cases have notoriously sharp and dangerous blades. between humbees, dermatomes, and wecks, and...add to the dirtiness of burns...working quickly to minimize the time the lower dermal layers are exposed...potentially huge blood loss, things are slippery from the blood and mineral oil: the potential for mistakes in sharps handling increases. i learned to take my time and follow through on my safety checks. i also learned that if the darn blade guard won't slide on easily, chuck it and go on. i am not going to cut myself again. :)

surginurse · Aug 21, 2005

Our facility utilizes a "neutral zone" to prevent sharps injuries. The docs put used sharps on the zone (usually a magnetic mat), and do not directly hand used sharps to the scrubbed person.

oneillk1 · Aug 31, 2005

I have worked in OR for 18 months and been stuck (to the point of bleeding) three times - once with a clean suture, once with a used suture and once with a used hypodermic needle. The hypo was my own fault (recapping a needle - I know!!!) but the first suture was poking out of a plastic needle safety mat when i was clearing up my table after a procedure. I Have learnt not to be complacent when it comes to sharps, even if I think they are 'safe' I still take great care cos you just never know when one might get you

I am a regular lurker here (hope to someday work in OR) and wanted some insight as to how often needle sticks happen in the OR. I've heard the most likely places for needlesticks to occur are in the ER and OR. Any thoughts on this?

ORSmurf · Aug 31, 2005

I've worked in the OR for 8 years and have been stuck about 4 times. One time was during a carpal tunnel release, the patient was under MAC and moved his hand unexpectedly - the surgeon accidentally stuck me. The other times I've was either clumsy, not paying close enough attention or trying to move too quicly. I don't think 4 times in 8 years is too bad... but it still sucks when it happens!

I am a regular lurker here (hope to someday work in OR) and wanted some insight as to how often needle sticks happen in the OR. I've heard the most likely places for needlesticks to occur are in the ER and OR. Any thoughts on this?

ortess1971 · Oct 9, 2005

Same here; exactly---I've never double gloved, and, if a facility required us to do it, I'd quit.
You know, some people are so freaked out about getting some disease--not even a blood borne disease-- that they carry things to ridiculous and expensive extremes. For example, I've seen residents and transport orderlies double glove--with STERILE gloves, mind you, citing that the cheap disposable gloves "don't fit," simply to transport patients--afraid of getting some exotic germ off the gurney. Why not simply wash hands well upon completion of transport, as they should be doing ANYWAY?
Yet I see these same residents and transport orderlies at the gym doing arm curls and triceps extensions, sweating all over the Nautilus arm pads and handles--just as multiple people prior to them have done. This is when they should be thinking of the possibility of picking up community acquired MRSA--and perhaps disinfecting the pads, or at least laying a towel over them, before they start working out--but this never occurs to them. I just have to laugh when I see it, but you can't tell these macho guys anything.
Ditto for starting IVs--some nurses and residents double glove with STERILE gloves before they'll do IV access or draw blood. Or, they don sterile gloves to pick up and/or bag used raytex and laps. Why not just invert a plastic bag over one's hand and pick up the sponges that way--or with a sponge stick, then transfer them to the plastic bag? We waste entirely too many sterile supplies in the operating room in the name of "safety," IMHO.

Where I work, the orthopods want you to double glove for their cases. They are concerned about their infection rates. Who knows if double gloving helps this. Surgeons are a superstitious lot! :uhoh3:

SFCardiacRN · Oct 9, 2005

After single gloving for 20 years, I finally made the switch. It took over a year to get proficient with 2 pair of gloves on. Hep C is the reason I made the effort. Gloves act as a squeegie when a bloody suture needle passes through them. Double gloving greatly reduces exposure because of this squeegie action. I thought I would NEVER double glove but now feel naked with only one pair on. Try a half size larger as the under pair and your hands shouldn't go numb.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 11, 2005

Where I work, the orthopods want you to double glove for their cases. They are concerned about their infection rates. Who knows if double gloving helps this. Surgeons are a superstitious lot!

I double-glove simply because sharp bone edges are like needles.