G/j tube spray

[Rnbc1234]

Hi all I am new to this site but am curious about something.

i currently work in a school for children with severe disabilities. I am a nursing student with an education minor and am both assisting the teacher as well as nurses. We have a student who receives continuous feelings through a j-tube but will sometimes get vented through her j tube through a syringe. I was watching the nurse vent the child through the g tube and there were some bubbles and some clear liquid that was pulled into the syringe.

as she removed the syringe, some of the fluid splashed into my eye, a small amount. I have OCD and tend to become very paranoid about HIV etc...has this happened to anyone else? I believe the fluid would only be stomach fluid/saliva she had swallowed which would not contain anything terribly scary but I am just curious whether this happens sometimes and is no big deal.

[One-X]

I'm a direct care staff in a group home where all the residents are tube fed. This happens to me all the time. It does help to kink the tube and keep a finger over the side port(s) as you're opening the port or taking a syringe in and out. However, in my experience, occasional splashing is something to get used to (then again, I'm just a direct care staff, so the nurses on here probably know more).

I have OCD as well, though not the germophobic variety, and I know how hard it is to quell the anxiety about something like potentially having an infection. I have however found that I've been able to get better with my OCD tendencies on the job just from being there longer and seeing things not go wrong (I have the quintuple checking kind).

[fulitarn, BSN, RN]

It's stomach contents so basically it's vomit.

[jdub6]

This thread will probably be closed as per the terms of service we cannot offer medical advice. If you were exposed to body fluid at work you should seek medical advice and follow the exposure plan/ policies of your employer.

Since you mentioned you are anxious about exposure in general here is some general info for you. The main concern with body fluid exposure is bloodborne pathogens like HIV, hep B, hep C. Per OSHA and the CDC you are at risk for transmission of these pathogens if your bloodstream, via broken skin or mucous membranes, is exposed to blood or certain body fluid. Per OSHA bloodborne pathogens can be transmitted by blood or "semen, lady partsl secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids".

If a health care worker is exposed to the above most workplaces have policies that center around detecting and trying to prevent transmission of bloodborne pathogens. This often includes testing the source (person the fluid came from) and/or the exposed person at the time of exposure and sometimes in the future. In some situations the employee may be offered prophylactic drugs for a period of time to try to prevent them from contacting certain diseases (usually HIV).

Now aside from pathogen exposure there are certainly other problems that can happen in the workplace- an employee who is exposed to urine from a pt who has recently had certain chemo meds or radioactive treatment may need followup for that, or someone might be sprayed with corrosive fluid, etc. In general most people would say when in doubt report it and seek medical advice.