Occupational Injuries Very Common in Surgeons

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Oct 10 - A survey of more than 350 plastic surgeons indicates that occupational injuries, especially muscle strains, are the norm, not the exception with this profession, according to study findings to be presented next month at the American Society of Plastic Surgery meeting in Chicago.

This is the "first systematic assessment of injuries occurring in the surgical workforce," lead researcher Dr. Pranay M. Parikh, from Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, told Reuters Health.

The results indicate that injuries are much more prevalent in surgeons than previously thought, Dr. Parikh said. "As surgeons have historically been a stoic and low complaining population, the incidence of occupational injuries in this population has been underreported."

The survey focused on 28 common conditions of the neck, back, and arms. The research team examined a number of potential risk factors for injury, such as age, gender, years spent operating, and use of loupes/microscope. The functional impact of injury was assessed using the DASH tool (disability of the arm, shoulder, and hand).

Muscle strain was reported by 70% of participants, vision changes by 40%, cervical disc degeneration by 30%, lumbar disc degeneration by 25%, and shoulder arthritis by 20%. Roughly half of the subjects reported being treated for a health condition related to operating.

The DASH findings suggested that the injuries often had a functional impact. Age, years in practice, and loupe use were all found to correlate with injury.

Most of the respondents also reported a percutaneous or splash exposure within the 12 months prior to the survey, the findings indicate.

"Surgery is a physically and mentally demanding field requiring more than 10 years of post-graduate training to prepare for," Dr. Parikh noted. "Avoiding preventable disability in this highly trained group is imperative to protect the surgical workforce and ensure a high level of surgical care."

He added that "workplace ergonomics is an area for growth and development to prevent occupational injuries in surgeons."

By Anthony J. Brown, MD
Reuters Health Information 2008. © 2008 Reuters Ltd