Abstract
The surgeon first noticed an easily dismissed symptom, fatigue. Then his skin turned mustard yellow. The color was a dead giveaway-he had contracted hepatitis B. This virus attacks the liver and can cause not only the skin-yellowing, flulike illness called jaundice, but sometimes more severe inflammation or even death. He recovered from that initial bout with the virus and continued to operate. As always, he followed standard infection control procedures. Before entering the operating suite, he scrubbed his hands and forearms with a germ-killing soap. He wore a sterile surgical gown and gloves. Despite all these precautions, a 47-yearold female patient became ill and was diagnosed as having the hepatitis B virus. Moreover, a squad of federal investigators determined that the surgeon had passed the virus to 19 patients in all. The investigators and their coauthors detail the inquiry in the Feb. 29 NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE.
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