ISIPS Newsletter September 18, 2009

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Welcome to the ISIPS Newsletter

September 18, 2009

USA Health News

HIV/AIDS Among Florida's Men Reaches Critical Levels
The Florida Department of Health released a report, "Man Up: The Crisis of HIV/AIDS among Florida's Men." The report, which seeks to mobilize men to...

How Women United to Stop HIV-Positive Man
Then she discovered he had other girlfriends, and found out she was HIV-positive. Between 2004 and 2007, they -- and several other women -- managed to cross...

Medical Inattention in New York Prisons
Prison inmates are the sickest people in society, with infection rates for blood-borne viruses like HIV and hepatitis C far higher than the general...

Doctor faces lawsuit following hepatitis B outbreak at Toms River...
... a Toms River oncologist whose medical license was suspended in April after several of his patients reportedly contracted hepatitis B. According to the...

New weapon in crime fighting
They will also protect officers from needlestick and stabbing injuries. Other injuries inflicted through the vest should not be fatal.

FAO suggests more measures to prevent avian flu spread in Cambodia
This situation may also pose the greater risk for the reintroduction of avian influenza into the country," a FAO report based on the studies' findings said.

Novel influenza virus H1N1 – what can we expect?
The pathogenicity is unlike the avian flu H5N1, which is highly pathogenic in chickens and turkeys (80% mortality) and it could infect and kill man...

Can Animals Catch the Flu?
How does an avian flu pass from birds to humans? Historically, scientists have concurred that bird flu makes a direct pass through droppings.

Swine Flu

CDC: Swine flu causing deadly lung infections like avian virus
Autopsies show that the H1N1 swine flu virus can cause deep, fatal lung infections rarely seen in seasonal flu but common with the deadly avian strain,...

3 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Gibson County
The Gibson County Health Department is also warning of the dangers of the West Nile virus. People are asked to remove standing water and to use insect...

Swine flu deaths show this flu is different: experts
"This is almost exactly what we see with avian flu," Zaki said. "This looks like avian flu on steroids." Dr. Yoshi Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin...

Health officials prepare for a busy flu season
"If you have the bird flu you come in for a 'tweetment.' If you have the swine flu you're going to come in for an 'oinkment,' he said.

Swine Flu: Menace or Media Hype?
SARS and Bird Flu are perfect examples of recent viral outbreaks where air travel was a major factor in the rapid spread of disease.

11-year-old Dallas area girl dies of swine flu
An 11-year-old Garland girl died just days after going home sick from school with the swine flu. A sixth-grader in the Mesquite...

Swine Flu Update
He passed away Friday from Swine Flu. The university said more than 500 other students have been diagnosed with flu-like systems.

Swine flu spreads week or more after symptoms
New studies show that many people with swine flu may be able to spread the virus for a week or more after symptoms first appear.

Medical News

Gene affects hepatitis cure
Westmead Millennium Institute molecular geneticist, Dr David Booth and the University of Sydney hepatitis C expert, Professor Jacob George,...

Discovery of Antibodies May Lead To HIV Vaccine
Scientists have found two antibodies that may be the keys to developing an HIV vaccine. HIV is a virus that mutates rapidly with many different forms,...

West Nile

While monsoon was dry, West Nile threat remains
This year's monsoonal moisture may have been a disappointment, but the threat of mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus remains, according to a release from...

West Nile appears in the valley
Surrey North Delta Leader Just two weeks after its discovery in the Okanagan, it appears the West Nile Virus has made its way west to the...

Health officials warn about west nile
Health officials are warning residents that this mosquito threat remains high, despite the fact that there have been no human cases...

Dallas County reports first death of '09 from West Nile virus...
Dallas County health officials have confirmed the first death in the county this year from West Nile virus. The victim lived in Duncanville.

Miss. now has 34 West Nile cases
Five new human cases of West Nile virus have brought to 34 the total number of cases this year. Two people this year have died The state Department of...

PlasmaBlade™
The control of a scalpel. The bleeding control of traditional electrosurgery.

The PlasmaBlade is a family of disposable cutting and coagulation devices that offer the exacting control of a scalpel and the bleeding control of traditional electrosurgery without extensive collateral damage.

The PlasmaBlade is based on proprietary pulsed plasma technology. This technology represents an evolutionary leap in the advancement of radiofrequency surgical technologies, which originated with traditional electrosurgery and progressed to plasma-mediated energy devices.

The following PlasmaBlade tissue dissection surgical devices are FDA-cleared and commercially available:

The PlasmaBlade 4.0, which is designed to be used to cut through all types of soft tissue, including skin, fat and muscle;

The PlasmaBlade Needle, which has a fine needlepoint tip and is specifically designed for ultra-precise surgical procedures;

The PlasmaBlade EXT, which is designed for use in surgical procedures requiring an extended-reach tip.

All of the PlasmaBlade tissue dissection surgical devices are used in conjunction with PEAK Surgical’s PULSAR Generator, which supplies pulsed waveforms that produce short plasma-mediated electrical discharges through the PlasmaBlade.

Because the radiofrequency is provided in short on-and-off pulses with low duty cycle, and the blade is insulated, heat diffusion and associated heat damage to surrounding tissues is limited, resulting in less collateral damage and more precise tissue dissection. In contrast, most radiofrequency-based surgical devices use continuous voltage waveforms and un-insulated electrodes to cut tissue.

The PlasmaBlade provides surgeons with a single device that offers:

the precision of a traditional scalpel;
the bleeding control of traditional electrosurgery technology;
minimized thermal damage;
the ability to quickly and easily cut through all types of soft tissue, including skin, fat and muscle;
the ability to operate in a wet or dry surgical field.

Results of a preclinical surgical incision healing study of the PlasmaBlade demonstrated that it efficiently cut tissue with effective hemostasis and minimal thermal damage compared with standard surgical techniques. Based on these and other results from preclinical studies, PEAK Surgical believes that the PlasmaBlade may offer an effective alternative to the traditional scalpel or electrosurgical devices, potentially providing surgeons with better outcomes for their patients, including increased procedure efficiency, reduced surgical incision scarring, faster and stronger wound healing, and faster recovery.

Click here to see a video on PEAK Surgical's Plasmablade™.

For more information on PEAK Surgical's PlasmaBlade, click here

Hep C victims speak out about getting stuck by Kristen Parker and...
Another possible explanation is a needle-stick incident in a health-care setting. Lollini didn't fit any of the profiles. She believed the exposure had to...

Insurer to Pay $10M for Rescission Based on HIV
An insurance company's "reprehensible" decision to rescind a South Carolina man's coverage after he tested positive for HIV warrants a...

Surgical Face Masks Don't Stop Influenza Germs (Correct)
They were widely used in outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu and SARS. In July, 3M said it would invest $20 million to boost supply of N95 masks by 10 percent.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

As promised several weeks ago, ISIPS has teamed up with the Safety Lady® to provide you with a number of educational video products including

Personal Protective Equipment
Shipping Infectious and Biological Materials
Laboratory Ergonomics
Chemical Hygiene
Bloodborne Pathogen

In addition, two "Game Format" reviews are also available.

Bloodborne Pathogen Quiz Show
Shipping Infectious and Biological Materials Quiz Show

To find out more information about these products click here.

To purchase the products click here.

OSHA Violations

...recent citations issued

Dr. Jurgen H. Upplegger

Albuquerque, NM

$1200

Failure to place regulated waste into appropriate containers.

Failure to ensure that all employees with occupational exposure participate in a training program which must be provided at no cost to the employee and during working hours.

Failure to obtain a copy of the employee's hepatitis B vaccination status including the dates of all the hepatitis B vaccinations and any medical records relative to the employee's ability to receive vaccination.

Sisters Of Mercy Urgent Care, Inc.

Asheville, NC

$875

Exposure Control Plan not updated at least annually and to document new tasks, procedures.

Penn Homecare And Hospice

Bala Cynwyd, PA

$1,875

Exposure Control Plan not accessible.

Exposure Control Plan does not document annually consideration and implementation of safety products.

Did not document job classifications in which SOME employees have a potential of bloodborne pathogen exposure.

ISIPS Corporate Members

Please click on any ISIPS member below to view their sharps safety products!

Real Needlestick and
Blood Exposure Stories

This happened about 1 week ago, she laid a 1/2 Vicodin on the medicine cart that a student brought in that was not in a labeled medicine bottle actually it was in a Seroquel bottle. She laid it up there because she at the time was unsure as to what type of pill it was the student just told her it was a Vicodin. Well anyway, she laid it up there and forgot about it, the next night the RN supervisor asked her what happened to it and she told her where she laid it, and she went back to get it and guess what?! It wasn't there surprise, surprise. Well, she decided that someone might had put it in the sharps container, which is what should have been done with it anyway. So she donned a pair of gloves and was getting ready to stick her hand down in the container and I saw her and alerted the RN, she told her absolutely not to do this. Well, about 15 minutes later I was back over in the area she was at and I noticed a plastic bag laid there and I asked her what she was going to do and she said , " I am going to dump the sharps out and look for the pill". I said, surely not and I alerted the RN supervisor again and she came over and said time and time again that she wished she didn't do this and she kept saying I'll be careful, I'll be careful. The RN was visibly getting upset. She finally just grabbed the sharps container after it was about 1/2 emptied out and said STOP!!! The nurse said I got to find that pill. The RN said it was not that important and she wasn't even sure if that is where the pill was or not. Can you believe that?! Later that night the RN asked me to write up what I saw that way there was a "paper trail" and then the RN made the nurse write herself up for the incident. The nurse became very upset and has tried to start WWIII with her getting all the other nurses on her side. The place I work at is a state facility and the nurse is a state merit employee and it is just about impossible to get rid of one. I just wonder where this nurse got her license, a cracker jack box? Just thought I would see what everyone's feelings were on this. I think it is just plain stupid!!! I mean think of all the diseases!!!!

Featured Safety Product

Dieble Instrument Organizer

The Dieble instrument organizer was designed by an LPN surgical technician to replace the commonly used rolled towel. The organizer allows the efficient and orderly passing of instruments to and from the surgical field while also conserving space on the mayo stand and the back table.

In central supply, the instrument organizer provides a sensible and efficient way to organize, count and string instruments despite distractions and interruptions. Instruments can be preassembled and secured directly to the organizer will by a single stringer rod. This makes it possible for the instrument organizer to be picked up as a single unit and placed into the sterilization pan. In the operating room, the preassembled stand can be picked up and placed onto the back table. Remove the stringer rod and the instruments are ready for use. To move the stand, grasp the organizer on both sides and lift slightly keeping the tips of the instruments on the field. To move long distances, replace the stringer rod into the instruments handles and the holes located on the base of the stand.

The organizer is small enough to use on the mayo stand, keeping your instruments stable and orderly and increasing the speed and efficiency of instrument transfer during surgery. It also makes it possible for a seamless changeover of personnel during a case. Adjusting in the organizer is simple. Instruments can be moved to and from the base with ease by adding, removing, or sliding the clips from side to side. The Dieble organizer is designed to support a broad range of instruments and can be quickly adjusted should there be complications during the case.

No matter how many instruments are used, it will conserve space on the back table or mayo stand. The Organizer comes in two sizes. The small adjusts from 6-10 inches and the large from 12-22. No matter how simple or how complex the case may be the Dieble organizer is always the right tool for the job.

For more information click here.

Point of Care Syringe Disposal Solutions

For Professional Health Care Use

A NEW, simple syringe disposal solution
Reduce your "total costs" by 80% or more
Meets safety compliance requirements
Reduce accidental needlesticks

For Home Use
A NEW, simple syringe disposal solution
Keep your family and others safe
Meets safety compliance requirements
Easy to use!

Click here for more information

Anatomy of Needlestick Injury; Ron Stoker, Business Briefing: Global Healthcare- Advanced Medical Technologies 2004- Infection Control and Epidemiology
Needlestick Injury Prevention, Ron Stoker, Business Briefing: Global Healthcare 2003

Specially designed syringes maximize flue vaccine supply - Syringes reduce costs and and increase healthcare worker safety and patient comfort
Evaluation of The BD IntegraTM 3ml Syringe with Retracting BD PrecisionGlide™ Needle at Texas Children’s Hospital and Test-Med

Safety Wound Closure Presentation
Sharps Safety - Gaps and successes of safety device market conversion By Amber Hogan
Technology and the engineering of safety devices has increased since the promulgation of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (BPS) (29 CFR 1910.1030) in 1991. As a result, OSHA revised its enforcement procedures in 1999 (CPL 02-02-069) to include guidance for its compliance safety and health officers to begin citing health care employers for failure to use safety devices where their use is feasible and effective.

Not Just painful, Deadly! Patients aren't the only ones scared of Needles By Ron Stoker
Future Healthcare, Summer 2006 p 121-3

Academy for Safety Excellence

Terry Jo Gile, MT (ASCP), MA Ed.
The Safety Lady
and
Ronald L. Stoker, MS
Executive Director and Founder - ISIPS
International Sharps Injury Prevention Society

The Academy for Lab Safety Excellence is a program designed by Safety Lady LLC to help you make the transition from bench tech to lab safety officer. You will learn to navigate the world of laboratory safety from the Safety Lady. You will discover the secrets to lab safety excellence that has taken others years to acquire. You will be able to network with colleagues to help you solve your most challenging safety issues.

This Academy is a perfect way to advance your safety knowledge if you:

Are new to lab safety or have limited experience in lab safety issues
Find it frustrating to locate safety information from a variety of sources
Want to expand the impact of your lab safety expertise
Want to increase your effectiveness in educating staff on lab safety issues
Need ready access to colleagues whose expertise in lab safety is well known
Would like to network with your peers on a regular basis for lab safety ideas
Have a limited budget for safety education

You can expect:

A 30 minute personal mentoring phone call to address your specific lab safety challenges
A minimum of eight conference calls over a 12 month period with other members of the Academy to brainstorm safety issues and cover a particular safety topic including:
- Conducting a proper safety audit and why it is important
- Designing and implementing a comprehensive chemical hygiene program
- Protecting employees through the use of ergonomic tools and PPE
- Shipping of infectious and biological substances
  Infection control and prevention
- Bloodborne pathogens and sharps injury prevention
- What's new in waste management
- Training methods that won't put your staff to sleep
- Timely updates via email with lab safety information before it is posted on the website or in the Safety Savvy newsletter
- Special audio conferences with guest experts on a variety of lab safety topics
- Sample safety templates to make documentation easier
- Unlimited emails to the ISIPS Executive Secretary
- Discounts on featured Safety products
- Ten(10) P.A.C.E. contact hours after successfully completing the Academy

An investment of $249 for all sessions
Dates for the Academy:
- October 22, 2009, November 12. 2009, January 14, 2010, February 11, 2010, March 11, 2010, April 15, 2010, May 20, 2010, June 10, 2010

The scheduled start time for all Academy webinars will be

10 am PDT, 11 am MDT, 12 pm CDT, 1 pm PDT, A preview webinar will be held on September 22 at 11 am MDT.

Preview Webinar - Academy of Safety
Tuesday, September 22nd at 11:00am Mountain
Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...
http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=8575968

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ISIPS
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