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Personnel-to-Patient Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus: Underestimation of Exposure
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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We read with interest the article by Ross et al1
about the risk of personnel-to-patient transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV)
in which the authors presented model-based calculations for surgical settings.
Being involved in the investigations of suspected personnel-to-patient transmissions
of bloodborne pathogens and the development of national guidelines on this
subject, we appreciate the development of proxy measures for risk assessment.
Ross et al1 based their calculations on
the following 4 determinants: A, the probability of HCV positivity in medical
staff; B, the probability of percutaneous injuries; C, the probability of
sharp object's recontact; and D, the rate of HCV transmission following exposure.
If a surgeon is HCV RNA-positive, the risk of HCV transmission to a patient
was calculated to range from 0.0062% to 0.057% resulting in 1 infection in
16 000 to 1 in 1750 invasive procedures, respectively. The worst-case
calculation was based on B = 2.3%, C = . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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