Percutaneous Injuries and Transmission of HIV Among Cases Referred for Post Exposure Prophylaxis to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz, a City in the Southwest Iran

Background: health care workers (hcws) and public in iran may be at the risk of percutaneous injury (pi) as well as infection with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv).objectives: the aim of this study was to evaluate the pi and transmission of hiv infection in pi cases referred to an hiv preventive focal point unit.patients and methods: in this prospective study, 369 pi cases who had referred to razi hospital of ahvaz, from 1993 to 2008 were studied. pi cases were placed in three groups: occupational (hcws), accidental (children) and victims of a crime (women). the data including demographic, occupational, pi incidence place, post-exposure prophylaxis (pep) and follow-up tests for hiv infection were analyzed in spss 16 using chi square test.results: from a total of 369 cases, 273 (74%) were hcws, among which nurses (70%) were the most involved employees, followed by surgeons (18.3%) and lab workers (8.4%). fifty five cases (14.9%) were accidental needle stick (ns) and 41 (11.1%) were victims. among hcws, 38 (13.8%) were injured by needles soiled with hiv infected bloods. only 105 (28.4%) needed pep, among which 92 (87.6%), including 50 surgeons, 21 nurses and 18 lab workers were hcw. the results of hiv tests in all cases were negative.conclusions: although nurses are the most involved occupational group in documented ns, surgeons are the most important high risk hcw who need pep. no case of seroconversion has taken place as a result of pi. this means that the current pep may have an effective role in hiv prevention.