Re: Use of syringe shields

[jtowson@nucmed.rpa.cs.nsw.gov.au (Jocelyn Towson)]

 ". . .
>unless the use of the shield is contraindicated for that patient or human
>research subject."

I think that most syringe shields must be used with extreme caution, unless
there is absolutely no risk of needlestick injury when removing the shield.


I'm told that Australia has adopted a broader definition of Universal
Precautions against body fluid exposure to health care workers, than that
originally defined by the Centre for Disease Control.  All blood and body
fluids, including sweat, are considered to be potentially infectious from
all patients regardless of their infectious status.  Our Health Dept
recommendations for handling sharps require that, after giving an
injection, the needle must not be resheathed except in special
circumstances and then only with a recapping device (not by hand), and that
the syringe it must be disposed of immediately by the user in an approved
sharps container at the point of use.  For quantitative nuc med procedures
like thyroid uptakes where the syringe residue must be measured, we have
found a recapping sleeve fixed to the side of the lead carry pot to be very
useful.

I would be very interested to hear if there any syringe shields on the
market which are designed so that the used syringe can be removed with a
single-hand action in a way that the syringe can be dropped, needle point
down, into a sharps bin.

Jocelyn Towson
Radiation Safety Officer
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Sydney
jtowson@nucmed.rpa.cs.nsw.gov.au