The Risk of Blood-Borne Viral Infection due to Syringe Re-Use

In the fall of 2008, light was shed on the practice of syringe re-use occurring in western Canada (Government of Alberta, 2009). In this situation, syringes had been re-used between patients to administer sedating medication through patient intravenous (IV) lines (Government of Alberta, 2009). Later it was reported that other incidents of syringe re-use had occurred in Canada (CBC News-Edmonton, 2008a;CBC News-Edmonton, 2008b). The question arose of whether this practice may have resulted in the transmission of bloodborne pathogens to patients and, if so, how many and with what level of risk. To answer this question, a retrospective study involving approximately 1,400 patients was undertaken (Government of Alberta, 2009). However, questions were also raised as to whether estimates based on modeling scenarios could provide information to guide decisions on the need for look-backs.