Hepatitis C and the surgeon

摘要

Throughout medical history, surgeons have worked with the risk of disease transfer from the patient under the knife. Many of these risks have been minimized or removed by the introduction of antibiotics and improved surgical techniques. However, blood-borne viruses remain a surgical risk. Originally, hepatitis A and B were the major dangers. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C (originally non-A, non-B) were later brought to the public eye in 1981 and 1989, respectively. Hepatitis B carries the greatest risk of transmission, but the availability of a vaccine ininimizes infection and allows for immunity if vaccination is maintained. Conversely, HLV is rarely transmitted, and if necessary exposure can be mitigated by an early, short course of antiviral triple therapy; however, HIV has received the lion's share of publicity in both the lay press and in the surgical literature.