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Possible meedlestick injury
Hi, I'm a Healthcare professional and drew blood on an HIV+ patient, states they are undetectable but do not have that information.
23g hollowbore needle went through glove and I think probably broke skin slightly but no bleeding whatsoever. There was blood on the needle.
Am I wrong in considering this no risk?
23g hollowbore needle went through glove and I think probably broke skin slightly but no bleeding whatsoever. There was blood on the needle.
Am I wrong in considering this no risk?
COMMUNITY LEADER
You should follow your facility's infection control protocol. If they are not insisting you take PEP, I would personally forego it. HIV has to enter the bloodstream in order to infect, and a minor prick is not likely to achieve that.
Your situation involves personal contact with an object in air ( hand, maybe blood, , etc. ) . You will be happy to learn that you had no risk, because you can't get hiv from personal contact except unprotected penetrating vaginal or anal with a penis, neither of which you did and you didn't share hollow needles to inject with which is the only other way to acquire hiv - there are ONLY 3 ways to get hiv. Note that 2 of them require a penis and the third requires a hollow injecting shared needle - there are no OTHER ways to get hiv. Analysis of large numbers of infected people over the 40 years of hiv history has proven that people don't get hiv in the way you are worried is a risk.
Hiv is a fragile virus in air or saliva and is effectively instantly dead in either air or saliva so the WORST that could happen is dead virus rubbed you, and obviously anything which is dead cannot live again so you are good. Blood and cuts would not be relevant in your situation since the hiv has become effectively dead, so you don't have to worry about them to be sure that you are safe.
There is no reason for a person to test when they are safe. The advice took into consideration that the other person might be positive, so move on and enjoy life instead of thinking about this non-event. hiv prevention is straightforward since there are only 3 ways you can become infected, so next time you wonder if you had a risk, ask yourself this QUESTION. "Did I do any of the 3?" Then after you ANSWER "No, I didn't" you will know that it's time to move on back to your happy life.
No one got hiv from what you did during 40 years of hiv history and no one will get it in the next 40 years of your life either. You can do what you did any time and be safe from hiv.
The other person's status is irrelevant when you have no exposure to live virus.
If you still have questions about your risk, after reading all of the above, then it is because you didn't answer the QUESTION above.
Hiv is a fragile virus in air or saliva and is effectively instantly dead in either air or saliva so the WORST that could happen is dead virus rubbed you, and obviously anything which is dead cannot live again so you are good. Blood and cuts would not be relevant in your situation since the hiv has become effectively dead, so you don't have to worry about them to be sure that you are safe.
There is no reason for a person to test when they are safe. The advice took into consideration that the other person might be positive, so move on and enjoy life instead of thinking about this non-event. hiv prevention is straightforward since there are only 3 ways you can become infected, so next time you wonder if you had a risk, ask yourself this QUESTION. "Did I do any of the 3?" Then after you ANSWER "No, I didn't" you will know that it's time to move on back to your happy life.
No one got hiv from what you did during 40 years of hiv history and no one will get it in the next 40 years of your life either. You can do what you did any time and be safe from hiv.
The other person's status is irrelevant when you have no exposure to live virus.
If you still have questions about your risk, after reading all of the above, then it is because you didn't answer the QUESTION above.
5 Comments
Well, I'm not super concerned or I would just report and take prep, which is what they initially suggested.
I'm not sure if my post wasn't clear though, the patient is hiv+ and I had a possible needlestick injury with fresh blood in a hollowbore needle.
The needlestick to myself penetrated the glove and most likely skin but not to the point where I bled.
I agree this is most likely no risk though but wanted others opinion.
I'm not sure if my post wasn't clear though, the patient is hiv+ and I had a possible needlestick injury with fresh blood in a hollowbore needle.
The needlestick to myself penetrated the glove and most likely skin but not to the point where I bled.
I agree this is most likely no risk though but wanted others opinion.
If he was hiv there would be no reason to post.
I'm not sure I really understand ypur comment, if he were hiv then there would be no reason to post?
The reason I posted because the actual physicians I work with are not saying there is no risk, albeit the risk is obviously small.
Are you saying that needlestick injuries aren't an actual risk?
The reason I posted because the actual physicians I work with are not saying there is no risk, albeit the risk is obviously small.
Are you saying that needlestick injuries aren't an actual risk?
A needle stick even if someone is HIV+ is not a risk. HIV is inactivated by air. It takes far more than this to transmit HIV. HIV is transmitted by having unprotected vaginal or anal sex or sharing IV needles to INJECT drugs. There is no threat of HIV from a needle stick. However, since you are a healthcare worker, why are you not following the facility's protocol for needle sticks? They are likely much more conservative than necessary for liability reasons but none the less, I'm sure they have suggestions for you to follow. I would not be worried about HIV from this at all though.
I meant If he was hiv negative, there would be no reason to post. The - sign didn't show up, so my bad.
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