No Doctors in Survey Got AIDS Virus From Patients

A survey of more than 3,000 surgeons shows that none appear to have been infected with the deadly AIDS virus from a patient, federal health officials reported Thursday.

Dr. Augusto Sarmiento, president of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, called the results encouraging for both physicians and the public.

The findings “show that continued education and strict adherence to precautions are keys to controlling transmission of HIV (the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus) in medical procedures,” Sarmiento said.

The voluntary survey was conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control in cooperation with the surgeons at their annual meeting in Anaheim in March.

Of the 7,121 surgeons attending the session who were eligible for the survey, 3,420 participated. There were no HIV infections found in 3,267 surgeons not reporting non-occupational risk factors, such as having blood transfusions, homosexual contact or intravenous drug abuse.

Two surgeons among the participants tested positive for the AIDS virus, but those two also reported non-occupational risk factors and said they had performed surgery on patients with risk factors for HIV infection. A total of 108 surgeons listed non-occupational risk factors, the CDC said, and 45 did not respond to the question on risk factors.

Many of the surgeons participating in the survey apparently were at great occupational risk of acquiring HIV infection. Three out of four reported having trained or practiced in areas of high AIDS incidence since 1977, 49% said they had operated on one or more patients with known HIV infection, 87% reported contact with a patient’s blood the previous month, and 39% had sustained a needle-stick or cut from a sharp object contaminated with a patient’s blood in the past month.

“Orthopedic surgeons face hazards from punctures and cuts from needles, bone fragments and instruments in treating patients in emergency rooms and in other surgical settings,” said Sarmiento. “The CDC serosurvey data show that surgeons can minimize the risk of HIV transmissions while providing quality health care.”