Monday, February 21, 2011

What Goes In Sharps?

No matter what hospital I'm in, I see tons of junk in the sharps containers. This is a potentially huge waste of money and even a safety hazard.

Study - Sharps Disposal in the Operating Room (Anesth Analg 1998;87:634-6)

So, what goes in the container? Generally:
* Loose needles, capped or open
* Syringes with uncapped needles
* Suture needles
* IV needles
* Surgical staples
* Surgical scalpel blades

What doesn't need to go in the sharps container? The big two are:
* Glass - yes even split ampules, they are not infectious
* Plastic - toss needle in sharps, syringe in trash

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