Harms of Using Surgical Scalpel Blades and Their Possible Preventions

The multiplex environment of an operation room is always a source of injuries and infections, both for patients and workers.

The multiplex environment of an operation room is always a source of injuries and infections, both for patients and workers. Infections like bacterial, viral, and blood-borne infections and injuries such as cuts, bleeding, and accidental falls. Inappropriate handling of some surgical instruments is the primary source of these harms. Scalpels are one of them. They are the second most common source of injuries in the operating room.

A surgical scalpel is used to make incisions, normally one or two, each one to two cm long. Since their invention, they have changed a little bit. In 1920, changes in their design and style emerged. And they become of many kinds from a simple conventional scalpel. Such as,

• Retractable blade scalpels.
• Fixed-blade scalpels.
• Single-use scalpels.
• Disposable scalpels.

With the variety in their design, their function has also changed a little. Conventionally, they were used to make incisions in the skin, but now they are used to make incisions in body parts. Despite these changes, the harm they cause is not reduced. To resolve this issue, considerable research and testing have been done.

Let’s see what the harms are and the possible preventions discovered so far:

Harms:

They account for a total of 4 to 6% of sharp injuries, and about 40% of the patients undergoing the surgery have the potential to develop a blood-borne infection. Common problems associated with scalpels include the following:

• Sharp injuries to patients.

• Transmission of disease between the clinical staff and patients.

• Physical injuries to clinical staff.

• Injuries during blade fitting: preparing or removing the blade.

• Sharp cuts while passing the instruments.

• Blood-borne infections through bleeding.

• Postoperative infection

• Excessive bleeding if the cut is in the wrong place.

• 24 hours of pain after the operation.

Preventions:

1. Acts and laws: To avoid the harm caused by a surgical scalpel, many laws and acts have been passed, such as:

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from the U.S. Department of Labor signed the Needle Safety and Prevention Act into law in 2000. But unfortunately, people didn’t follow it.
• In China, it is compulsory for clinical workers to use safer medical devices during surgery.

2. No-scalpel technique: It uses a sharp, pointed forceps-like instrument instead of a scalpel to puncture the targeted organ, but it requires more training and skills for handling. It effectively reduces bleeding, hematoma formation, and the spread of infection. It also takes less operation time and is less painful. It is safer, but no difference in effectiveness is found.
3. Retracted scalpels: Specially designed surgical scalpels are used that automatically retract into the handle while not in use or are directly covered into a retractable sheath when not in use, but they are not so effective.
4. Disposable scalpels: No blade fit-in or removal is required in this case. The blade pre-fits at the factory during the time of development. And can be disposed of after a single use. It is made up of a polystyrene handle and a stainless-steel blade. They can reduce the infection to the same extent as the retracted scalpel.
5. Use of special gloves: Variants of gloves can be used to reduce the perforation and spread of infections or cuts, such as double-gloving, triple-gloving, knitted-gloving, and gloves plus lining. They can reduce the sensation and dexterity required for an operation.
6. HFT [Hands-Free Technique]: It is most effective in reducing blood loss and personal injuries. It reduces the chances of injuries caused by passing scalpels through trays instead of using hands. But it also reduces the chance of injury to the same extent as the others.

Conclusion:

Injuries from surgical scalpels are a major issue. No one technique or tailored scalpel is fully reliable; each of them has its pros and cons. Gloves with linings reduced the probability of infection more than double- or triple-latex gloves but reduced sensation and

dexterity. And the benefits of using a hands-free technique are also equal as compared to theirs. Single- handed blades also provide as much safety as a safety scalpel. So there is an immense need for a methodology or an instrument that can expel scalpel injuries completely.

FAQs:

1. Does double gloving reduce the effect of scalpel injuries? Yes, it does, but to the same extent as other instruments or methods can.
2. Which is the most effective way to reduce scalp injuries? No one method is fully reliable; each has its benefits and drawbacks. You can choose the one that suits you the best.
3. What is a hands-free technique? It includes the transmission of scalpels through a tray or some other thing during the operation to reduce the probability of harm.

Please visit our website, Allnet Medical, for more information.