[takararose]

ok am a tad paranoid.....just got home from work, started the day with a needle stick, actually a needle scratch after scratching patient who is confused, combative and moved needed, which caused the scratching of each of us, and of course pt has MRSA, and of course it is in her blood......yikes!!! protocol calls for the normal bleed it, betadine, neosporine and cover it.....what are my chances at getting MRSA now....sorry if this is a stupid question but....am asking anyway

[Sleepyeyes]

what's your risk management team say?

i mean, i know there is a protocol you mentioned, but have you no one to ask at the job about that?

[Flynurse]

Interesting....this sounds like something that just happened to a friend of mine about a month ago. She actually got stuck though and within 24 hours her finger grew 3X's the size d/t inflammatory response to the infection....MRSA.

I could not tell you what your chances of getting MRSA are, but I can tell you this: Make sure you fill out an incident report, if you have an infection control nurse at your facility speak with her about the situation and ask about getting tested, if anything strange happens with your finger/body d/t the incident seek medical attention immediately!!!

Hope everything goes okay with you!

[takararose]

responding to you both.....called ER for protocol and they say they treat it like any other needle stick, which btw does include incident report......unfortunately saw no infection control specialist today while working, but hopefully will tomorrow, if not will call in on monday and whatever needs to be tested, will....thank you both

[Flynurse]

Good luck.

[takararose]

thanks u2, saw one of our infectious control doc's who said there would be absolutely no problem, so i am quite relied

[nurseandmom]

I hope you got an HIV test also? And had the patient tested for Hepatitis and HIV? And you should have been started on the HIV meds right away and given gammaglobulin if you haven't had the hep vaccines. I think I would be just as worried about hepatitis as MRSA.

[dadrn]

I wouldn't worry about the MRSA. We work with it so much, we probably have some already, but I would worry about all the other stuff. In Colorado, before moving to Hawaii, I got a stick and went to employee health. They did a full work up, plus gathered the medical history of the patient I was working with. And that was for any needle sticks, regrdless of any contact precautions. But here, you go to the ER and they just look at the site, lean it with some betadine and send you on your way. Good luck, though. And I would go back for a follow up after a while.

After spending 6 weeks doing BID PICC line treatments on my husband for MRSA he got at work, I say take every protective or prevention method they offer you. If you were stuck with a needle from a patiet that MRSA in their blood, you cannot be too careful. Make certain all proper paperwork is order and if you start running a temp or have any unsusal s/sx, insist on a full check up, labs and cultures of any areas that look different. My husbands hands are still scarred and look horrible from this and it was nearly 5 months ago. You CANNOT be too careful!!!!! PLEASE don't take this lightly!!!!!!