blood exposure and intact skin

Nurses General Nursing

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Last week I got blood on my pants from a known Hep C patient. It soaked through my pants and through my hose underneath. (this was not an obscene amount of blood, just a couple splashes about an inch or so in diameter on my leg). It took me 10 or 15 minutes to get to the linen room to get a new pair of scrub pants. Then I went to the bathroom and washed with soap and water. So now the blood had been on my leg for 15 minutes. (I regret that I couldn't/didn't have washed it off sooner).

A couple of my colleagues said that I did not need to worry since it was intact skin, so I didn't file an incident report.

But since then, I've been thinking about it, and was wondering what you all thought b/c it's been stressing me out a lot, as in A LOT.

I've found myself thinking, well, if intact skin is such a great barrier, then why do we wear gloves all of the time (when dealing with body fluids)? And since we're supposed to wear gloves all of the time to protect ourselves, then, by extension, does that mean that I shouldn't consider myself safe after this exposure to my intact skin?

I just feel really anxious and I'm not sure if it's unfounded anxiety or not.

What do you do when you get blood on your skin? Do you get anxious?

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

From the CDC:

"There also has been a report of HCV transmission that may have resulted from nonintact skin, but NO KNOWN RISK from exposure to intact skin."

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/bbp/Exp_to_Blood.pdf

I genuinely don't think you have anything to worry about.

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Specializes in LTC.

I would have reported the incident if I was you. Last week my husband got a call to ER (he's security). A woman with her own blood under her nails scratched him. Not a bad scratch but enough to draw blood. He just found out that she's + for Hep C. Don't know any other results yet--HIV/AIDS, whatever else there is to test for. He has to go in for blood tests in 6 weeks.

My advice for you is to get tested for Hep C, regardless of whether or not you report the incident. It's your LIFE you are talking about. Besides, do you really think you will ever stop wondering unless you get tested? I wouldn't.

I pray for your health.

Amanda

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

I want to add that I totally understand your anxiety. I once tested positive for HCV. It was a false positive. It could never be explained by my doctor or the lab but the quantitative test came back ZERO. Nothing. Nil. Zip. So they retested the qualitative and it came back negative as well.

Everything went through my mind waiting for the results of that retest to I will never again have unprotected sex to where will I shower now (especially during my period) because we only have one shower and I didn't want to inadvertently expose my family.

Anything and everything that could go wrong was going to go wrong during that time. It was terrifying.

One thing I don't understand is how does Pamela Anderson live what seems to be so care-freely with multiple partners and drinking like she's got the liver of a 20 year old? It's known that she's got HCV.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.
A woman with her own blood under her nails scratched him. Not a bad scratch but enough to draw blood.

This is the difference though. The OP's skin was intact. A scratch that draw blood in nonintact skin.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.
Besides, do you really think you will ever stop wondering unless you get tested?

There ya go OP. Go to your doctor and request this simple blood test for your peace of mind.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

I've found myself thinking, well, if intact skin is such a great barrier, then why do we wear gloves all of the time (when dealing with body fluids)? And since we're supposed to wear gloves all of the time to protect ourselves, then, by extension, does that mean that I shouldn't consider myself safe after this exposure to my intact skin?

We are more likely to have open skin on your hands and there are more places for nasties to get trapped and carried around.

We wear gloves because we touch a lot of things and the possibility of contaminating stuff is high, including touching ourselves (ie: eyes, mouths) and other patients.

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Specializes in maybe L&D or NICU.
I I once tested positive for HCV. It was a false positive. It could never be explained by my doctor or the lab but the quantitative test came back ZERO. Nothing. Nil. Zip. So they retested the qualitative and it came back negative as well.

I have had chronic HCV for about 5 years. According to my gastroenterologist there are two types, acute and chronic. I'm not sure how they differ, but he said that your body is able to fight off acute HCV. That could be how you got a positive and then it came back negative. If your body had cleared the virus, then you would have a virus level of 0. Just what my dr. told me

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
a couple of my colleagues said that i did not need to worry since it was intact skin, so i didn't file an incident report.

but since then, i've been thinking about it, and was wondering what you all thought b/c it's been stressing me out a lot, as in a lot.

do you remember the date, the patient, the circumstances, etc.? in most places, you have up to year to file an incident report. i'd write all that down while it's fresh in your mind, and then contact employee health and ask them what to do. if you're worried, it won't hurt to check it out. i suspect that anything they tell you in an official capacity will set your mind at rest more than anything we can tell you. i'm sure you'll be fine, but if you're worried, check it out.

and when it doubt, file an incident report. better to be safe than sorry!

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Thanks orcagrrrl. The GI doc I saw told me that as well. However, he didn't think that was the case since the qualitative and quantitative were tested from the same specimen and the restest was done within a week. But he did say I could have had an exposure, he just couldn't explain it.

I don't like to blame things on labs because I worked in a clinical lab for many many years before becoming an RN, but I truely believe that there may have been something awry in the lab. It's rare (contrary to popular belief), but it happens. They could have run the specimen correctly but then reported on the wrong patient. I just hope that if this did happen, that the person who may have gotten the qualitative negative really got the further testing and care they needed.

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