Needle Stick Injury tonight, really stressed, advice please

Nurses General Nursing

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I had a needle stick injury tonight. I've been nursing for 20 years and never had one. I am so stressed. The patient is HSV positive, has genital herpes and is on zovirax.

Can HSV be passed on through needlestick injuries. I am trying to read on the net but too stressed to take it in.

I want a simple yes or no

:o

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/176_05_040302/douglas_letter_fm.html

There probably isn't no clear cut answer. The risk probably is low, but it apparently is possible.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma.

Looks like its possible from Tweety's article...but if it were a truly high risk, I would think they would cover it in Blood Borne Pathogens, and I've never seen it mentioned.

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Talk to your infection control specialist. They'll put your mind at ease.

The above article shows there is a remote possibility, but in that case it appears to be a needlestick after direct contact with the lesion: "after using a 22-gauge needle to deroof a vesicle for diagnosis in a two-year-old patient with orolabial herpes simplex virus type 1".

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Looks like its possible from Tweety's article...but if it were a truly high risk, I would think they would cover it in Blood Borne Pathogens, and I've never seen it mentioned.

Agreeed, it's more of a contact, sexually transmitted kind of illness. It's usually transmitted during active phases, but can be transmitted during dormant phases. But I don't think it's traditionally considered a bloodborn pathogen.

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Oh, that's sounds okay.

I don't want to talk to anyone at work. I just came back at the beginning of June after being off with uncontrolled epilepsy and up to now, still had days off when I have been drowsy ect and sent home from work and am scared they will say it's because of the epilepsy.

So, I won't talk to them. I am going to see my GP instead. Work did the blood tests, then started to take my medical history and after that I got scared they would ask me about my seizures and stuff, because I am waiting to go on a drug trial because they aren't fully controlled and so I said I would go and see my GP instead.

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Honey, you'll be fine. Just hang in there and fuhgedaboudid.

See your GP but stop stressing.

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Specializes in geriatric, hospice, med/surg.

I cannot tell you how many times I accidentally got stuck by a HUGE bore needle while taking off and getting others ready behind the present pt. for hemodialysis! It was from being in too much of a hurry. The populace of these folks ain't so good, neither as many have hep c but thankfully, I never was dx. with anything transmitted! Whew! I immediately went to the nearest handwashing station, "bled" the wound, flushed with water, repeated, then thoroughly doused with betadine, alcohol, more betadine, dried, applied thick pressure dressing, double gloved to keep said dressing on, and was MUCH slower after that! I bet I got stuck with those darned huge knitting needles about three times while doing dialysis nursing! Albeit, one of the three was thankfully, with a fresh, clean needle. Whew!

It happens. I am ok. You will be too!

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