Proposal to develop a detailed safety program for general/laser surgical patients infected with AIDS.
Medical health personnel have acquired serious and rarely fatal infections in the operating room from AIDS patients. Yet, there are no officially approved AIDS safety programs designed to protect medical health care personnel in the operating room. A sequential safety program is proposed beginning with the following steps: 1) evaluation and staging of the patient and associated complications; 2) protection of the major surgical and laser instruments; 3) use of an efficient evacuator system to avoid plumes of laser fragments from polluting the operating room environment; 4) protection of the operating room staff with special eye protection including helmets and shields, fluid-soak-resistant fabrics for garments, double surgical gloves, and special orderly trays with safety holders for syringes, needles, sharp instruments, and suture holders; 5) reporting and treatment of accidents, such as needlestick puncture wounds, that require immediate attention and an infectious disease consultation; 6) postoperative care, which includes providing medical health care personnel protection from bloody bandages, needles, and the infectious patient; and 7) and finally, the washing and sterilizing of contaminated instruments by medical health care personnel using face shields and masks, gloves, and protective fabrics for garments. Continued experience with this proposed safety program will determine its future value for AIDS surgical patients and for all health care workers.
Goldman
L
L
Department of Dermatology, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California 92134-5000, USA.
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000635:transmission*; D005135:Eye Protective Devices; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation; D008397:Masks; D009873:Operating Rooms; D011481:Protective Clothing; D011482:Protective Devices; D012449:Safety