Wright K U, Moran C G, Briggs P J
North Tees General Hospital, Hardwick, Stockton-upon-Tees, Cleveland, UK.
J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1993 Nov;75(6):918-20. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.75B6.8245082.
Exposure to blood is a hazard for all surgeons. We assessed the incidence of glove perforation and needlestick injury from a new blunt taperpoint needle designed to penetrate tissues other than skin with the minimum of force. We performed a prospective, randomised trial comparing the incidence of perforations of surgical gloves with the new needle and a standard cutting needle during wound closure after hip arthroplasties. There was at least one glove perforation in 46 of 69 such procedures (67%). The use of the taperpoint needle produced a significant decrease in perforations (p = 0.049).