title: Management of needlestick injuries: a house officer who has a needlestick.
abstract: Since its identification in 1985, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has challenged several aspects of health care delivery. Because HIV is a blood-borne infectious disease, from the early days of the epidemic, concern was raised about risks of occupational exposures and infections among health care workers. Despite the development of highly active antiretroviral therapy, which has effectively modulated HIV into a chronic disease in many settings, risks of occupational infection with 3 blood-borne pathogens remain in the health care workplace. Using the case of a house officer who has a needlestick during a resuscitation attempt, prevention of needlesticks including universal precautions and postexposure management of occupational HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C exposures is discussed.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD 20892-1888, USA. dkh@nih.gov
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Henderson
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010820:Physicians; D056990:Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; C109078:lamivudine, zidovudine drug combination; D019259:Lamivudine; D015215:Zidovudine