Document 0256
 DOCN  M9460256
 TI    Risks of bloodborne diseases to emergency personnel in traumatic wound
       management.
 DT    9408
 AU    Huang YC; Lin CL; Chang CF; Wang JS; Ker CG; Department of Emergency
       Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical College,; Taiwan, Republic of China.
 SO    Kao Hsiung I Hsueh Ko Hsueh Tsa Chih. 1994 Feb;10(2):63-7. Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/94231607
 AB    High prevalence of viral hepatitis, increasing HIV infection and other
       bloodborne diseases in Taiwan have made the health care provider exposed
       to an increased risk of disease transmission unless adequate precautions
       and protections have been undertaken. Furthermore, emergency personnel
       must face the patient with limited information, and neither a reliable
       predictor nor appropriate tools have been found to assist in identifying
       emergency patients who pose a risk. The Centers for Disease Control
       (CDC) in the United States thus issued a specific caveat advocating all
       body fluids should be treated as potentially infectious under
       uncontrolled emergency circumstances. Unfortunately, in Taiwan,
       personnel in emergency service practice with limited protection, often
       without mask and only gloves as the only barrier device used. We tried
       to determine the risk of facial exposure during traumatic wound
       management. One hundred and fifteen wounds of 107 patients were
       enrolled. Most of them were not life-threatening and thus could be
       managed under more controlled conditions. Standard procedures of wound
       management were applied and facial exposure was assessed after each
       wound closure. Positive exposure rate in such controlled conditions
       remained as high as 46/115 (40%). Exposure rate in uncontrolled
       conditions should be, therefore, much more significant. Therefore, we
       should put more emphasis on adequate precaution and protection against
       bloodborne diseases.
 DE    *Blood-Borne Pathogens  *Emergency Medicine  Human  Infection/*ETIOLOGY
       Occupational Diseases/*ETIOLOGY  Risk  Virus Diseases/*ETIOLOGY  Wounds
       and Injuries/*MICROBIOLOGY/THERAPY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).