Copyright 2000 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company
The Houston Chronicle
June 27, 2000, Tuesday 3 STAR EDITION
SECTION: A; Pg. 22
LENGTH:
555 words
HEADLINE: INNOVATION;
Dentist's invention
protects health care workers from needle injuries
SOURCE: Staff
BYLINE: KELLY
PEDERSEN
BODY:
A Houston dentist has developed a
device designed to protect medical workers from accidental needle
sticks.
Made from a flexible, puncture-resistant covering, the
device, called Percuguard, is a flexible plastic sleeve that fits over the
finger of the nondominant hand - the hand not holding the syringe - during
injections.
Dr. Kevin Sorrels of the University of Texas-Houston Dental
Branch began work on the sleeve's design nearly 10 years ago, after sticking
himself with a needle while giving an oral injection. The advantage of
Percuguard, Sorrels said, is that it is eight to 20 times more
puncture-resistant than a latex glove, yet it does not hinder tactile
sensitivity like some personal protective products on the market.
While
HIV transmission remains at the forefront of fears concerning accidental needle
sticks, research shows hepatitis B and C transmission rates through percutaneous
injuries are much higher than those of HIV.
This is because the
prevalence of hepatitis is higher in the general population and the hepatitis B
and C viruses live longer than HIV when exposed to air.
Among 8 million
health care workers in the United States, approximately 800,000 needle sticks
are reported yearly - of those about 2,700 workers become infected with
hepatitis B or C. In comparison, one or two health care workers in the United
States each year are infected with HIV because of needle sticks.
"People
don't realize how serious hepatitis is. When you get it, it's with you for life,
and it can kill you," Sorrels said.
The HIV threat, however, has been
the driving force behind blood-borne pathogen prevention efforts.
Prior
to the onset of the AIDS epidemic, needle safety precautions varied greatly
within the medical industry.
In 1987, the Centers for Disease Control in
Atlanta recommended "universal precautions" - a standard by which all patients
are considered potentially infectious for blood-borne pathogens.
CDC
also has recommended that health care employers adopt methods to protect workers
from puncture injuries. These include latex gloves, biohazard needle disposal
bins and protective eyewear, but does not require personal protective devices
such as Percuguard and syringes with needles that automatically retract after
use.
Studies have shown that strict compliance with universal
precautions prevents only one out of three needle-stick injuries per year,
because gloves and other barriers are not impervious to sharp objects.
Several states, including Texas, have attempted to pass legislation that
would require hospitals to use only syringes with needles that retract
automatically after giving an injection. So far, these devices, known as
mechanically engineered syringes, have been made mandatory only in California.
Sorrels wants to see use of Percuguard protective devices made
mandatory. It could be used in conjunction with mechanically engineered needles.
The manufacturers of Percuguard said they hope to bring unit costs - now
40 cents per unit - closer to that of latex gloves, about 12 cents each, once
production increases. Percuguard should be available to health care providers
after July 27.
"The rate of accidental needle sticks isn't going to
decrease unless new safety standards are introduced - that's the bottom line,"
Sorrels said.
GRAPHIC:
Photo: Percuguard, a plastic sleeve that fits over the finger, protects medical
workers against accidental needle punctures.; Melissa Phillip / Chronicle
LOAD-DATE: June 28, 2000 
