Dirty Needle Stick

1. It happened today, I just stood there in shock after it happened. I just couldnt believe it. Then I rushed to the sink and washed my finger and squeezed it and made it bleed...it spewed because it was stuck so deep. The patient wouldnt let me draw her blood at first and I told her that I wasnt leaving until she let me (I work homehealth). The HIV panel came back negative, but I have to wait for 1-2 weeks for the Hepatitis panel results. It makes me sick to think of someone else's germs pulsing through my veins. Im just sick.

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   About chenoaspirit

   Joined: Sep '03; Posts: 1,043; Likes: 712
   HomeHealth Case Manager; from US
   Specialty: 4.5 years Med/Surg, currently HomeHealth

   7 Comments

   Comment
3. 
   May 19, '10

   I'm so sorry that happened to you, it's a very scary experience.
   
   Did you get the stick because the pt. was being combative?
4. 
   May 19, '10

   I had that happen to me as well. It's very scary, and all I can tell you is what the ER doc told me when I had my testing done: that the chance of getting infected with the dirty needle of someone who is (fill in disease) positive is less than 1%, and that is assuming that not only was the needle a hollow core with blood in it, but also that there was pressure on the needle enough to push the blood into your system (not like a little prick, and then pull it out quickly, but more like being pushed in and held there)
   I don't know if that helps or not, but it was a big relief for me to hear that... good luck to you, and let us know when your results are in.
5. 
   May 19, '10

   I can understand your concern. Very scary. I never had a needle stick. I did see a nurse, give insulin and recap, the needle went through the cap and into her finger. The patient had different medical issues. The nurse ended up okay. But yes, very scary.
6. 
   May 19, '10

   Gosh, I hope you are okay. I can't even imagine what the feeling is like but I'm rooting for you.
7. 
   May 19, '10

   i understand how you feel. it happened to me last year. i was completely in shock. i talked to the infectious disease docs and told me the same thing. very slim <1% change of getting infected from dirty needle. i just got a rapid hiv screen and hepatitis screen. came back negative. just have to get screened up to 1.5 years after incident.
8. 
   May 19, '10

   I had that happen to me too and I was so scared. At least I remembered what to do if I did get stuck with a needle. Thank God everything came back neg.. I could not believe that my doctor told me not to get tested because I would probably be okay. I think told him the Regent Health District wanted me tested and he did.
9. 
   May 20, '10

   I was stuck with a trocar needle some scrub tech placed into a regular garbage bag while cleaning an OR room back in 2002. It was a sinking feeling no doubt. The amount of anxiety was awful. I rushed to the sink and poured every surgical soap we had on the stick while pushing out the blood. Then I took one of those little sponge brushes with chlorhexidine and scrubbed like crazy. I went to the ER and they took my blood and got the pts blood, which came back neg for anything like HIV or Hep. I was really worried because the hospital mainly served those in low income communites.

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