We report a comparative laboratory study between 2 peripheral intravenous catheters equipped with a passive fully automatic safety mechanism to assess generation of blood droplets during withdrawal. One presented no fluid droplets, whereas the other presented droplets in 48% and 60% for the best and worst case, with analysis of variance showing positive effects on the number of droplets generated (P < .001). Safety devices can introduce hazards if health care workers are at risk from blood splatter.
Keywords: Blood splatter; Infection transmission; Peripheral intravenous catheters; Safety devices.
Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.