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T. Adam Kaspar; Richard F. Wagner, Jr, MD
University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston

JAMA. 1990;264(11):1408.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Pate¹ recently raised concern about occupational injuries to surgeons in the operating room. Eighty-six percent of surgeons reported at least one puncture injury in the last year, with 53% of the injuries involving the index finger of the nondominant hand.² These data are consistent with another study that showed 56% of surgical injuries occurred to the left index finger.³ Protecting the opposing index finger from needle-stick injuries could reduce the risk of this type of injury to surgeons. The ideal device would protect the surgeon while permitting dexterity.

We suggest the use of a thimble for the opposing index finger to protect against needle-stick injuries. This device is simple, inexpensive, effective, and widely available. Generations of sewers can vouch for its efficacy. The use of this device may potentially decrease surgical needle-stick injuries by approximately 50%. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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