The perioperative course of 253 patients undergoing excision of cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions by the same surgeon was evaluated, comparing patients using aspirin and those not using aspirin. Intraoperative methods of obtaining hemostasis and the incidence of postoperative complications were evaluated. Suture ligatures were used more frequently in the group using aspirin, but there was no statistical difference in the use of electrocautery. There was also no difference in the incidence of wound dehiscence, erythema, or hematoma. The outcome of excision of cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions under local anesthesia is not affected by patients using aspirin.

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Background The objective of this study was to determine the effects of teaching the scooping resheathing method on the incidence of needle‐stick injuries in medical students. Methods Before starting their first clerkship, 81 medical students were given a 15‐min lecture on the high incidence and dangers of needle‐stick injuries and a demonstration of the scooping‐resheathing method. The number of needle‐stick injuries that occurred during the 3‐month clerkship was compared with the number reported by 86 medical students who had completed their first clerkship 1 year previously and had not been given such instruction. Results Compared with controls, the study group had a 3.8‐fold lower risk of needle‐stick injury (95% confidence interval, 2.0–7.4, P < 0.0001) and a 8.3‐fold lower risk of multiple needle‐stick injuries (95% confidence interval, 2.0–35.0, P < 0.001). Those in the study group, who consistently used the scooping method had a much lower risk of injury than those who did not (1 of 36 [2.8%] vs. 8 of 45 [17.4%], P = 0.039). Conclusions We conclude that a lecture recommending the scooping‐resheathing method is effective in reducing the risk of needle‐stick injuries in medical students during their first rotation. Because this is the first time that an intervention not requiring change in equipment has been successful, further studies are warranted to substantiate our findings and for extrapolation to other medical personnel in other cultural settings. Am. J. Ind. Med. 34:15–19, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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