TB Test Paranoia

[Joyfull77]

So, I had to take a TB test at work which was administered by the nurse onsite. Well, she withdrew the substance from the vial to test me with, stuck me with it, and then the needle got displaced and had to redo the test by using the SAME needle she had just stuck me with to withdraw more from the vial and stuck me again. Is this safe to do, since she uses the vial for everyone? Shouldn't she have used a new needle????

[mamamerlee, LPN]

That vial is now contaminated. It was NOT okay to use the same needle. She should have used a brand-new syringe and needle.

YOU shouldn't worry (unless this has happened before). It really won't hurt you. Really! Years ago many diabetics reused their needles. Now that most insurances pay for them, they usually use fresh needles each time.

But I would certainly go back and tell her that the bottle is contaminated.

[FLArn]

YES! You should be okay (as long as she has never done this before). But she should have used a new needle and since she didn't she should have wasted the rest of the vial. Since you can not be sure she hasn't done this in the past; I would monitor the site closely for superficial skin infection. If she didn't draw blood I would think the risk of systemic problems should probably be minimal. I would run it past my NM/ DON/ Infection control Nurse (whichever one ISN'T her) just to see what they say about it. Wishiing you the best!

[Orange Tree]

Yikes!

[FLArn]

Mamamerlee,

I got called away in the middle of composing my post, but it's nice to see that we were thinking along the same lines! lol:bow:

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

I would say use a new needle. You don't know if she did that with other patients before( unless the vial was one time use)

[Joyfull77]

Thanks everyone...I called my supervisor who told me to tell her the nurse that did the test right away so that she could discard the bottle. She has already gone home, so I will call first thing tomorrow! And...I plan on getting tested just in case!!!!

[RNfaster]

Ugh. That irks me big-time. Scary.

[happy2learn]

My worry would be that if she had done that to you, has she done that to anyone else? I really don't want to make you worry, but you may want to take that into consideration.

Is there a way you can have this incident documented so in case something comes up, you have some sort of proof that this incident could have caused it?

[Joyfull77]

I spoke with her this morning expressed my concern to her, and she said that she threw the vial away and that she was sorry that she concerned me so much about the whole situation. She said that it would be unethical to use that on anyone else. I feel better about it, but I've decided that since I am in the health care field I'm going to make sure to get a full screening every 6 months for my own protection and for the patients protection too. But really, she should've just gotten a new needle...I'm sure the supply department wouldn't want her wasting vials like that.

[Daisy_08, BSN, RN]

i just got my tb test done today. she stuck me, but the needle slipped back out, she continued to push the syringe. the tuberculin just ran down my arm. it didn't really bother me, she would just have to do it again, right? wrong! she said have an nice day and to come back on thursday. there was no bleb or anything; i don't even think she looked for one.

[Joyfull77]

jme_daisy that sounds awful! She clearly didn't know what she was doing...it seems that the procedures for doing TB tests are not performed correctly! I found out today that the nurse that did my test threw the vial away because it only has a 30 day shelf life which is why she didn't use a new syringe. Experiences like these are preparing me for my future nursing career and what should and should not be done during procedures; I know this will make me a better nurse!