Needle stick injury HELP!!

Nurses General Nursing

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What is the risk for getting Hep. C after flushing a double lumen PICC line through the line that blood is not drawn through and accidentally sticking yourself with the needle you flush the PICC line with. The res. tested positive for HCV and MRSA. Wouldn't it be more likely to get MRSA? Your flushing the tube so I wouldn't think there would be much blood on the needle. RIGHT?

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Specializes in Pediatrics (Burn ICU, CVICU).

I would think you're chances would be miniscule since you weren't exposed to blood, however, there is always a chance that there was blood there, just not enough for you to notice.

Just curious, do you routinely use "needles" when accessing lines? I thought everyone used plastic blunt tip cannulas.

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What did the hospital do ? We were always told that in the event of getting a needle stick injury to let it bleed wash it and go to ER and contact Occupational health, then you would be tested for all related infections. ( This was in the UK)

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I was recently stuck by a pair of scissors that came from a suture kit. I am an er tech and part of my "responsibity" is to put the non disposable instruments in water and disinfectant and scrub them and prepare them for sterilization. Well the scissors that I was poked with (in the thumb) had been in the solution well over 8 hours probably more like 12 to 24 hours but I was scrubbing the scissors with a little scrub brush and my hand slipped causing me to poke myself in the thumb! As I was cleaning the darn things I noticed there was no blood or anything on the scissors that I could see but i was thinking to myself how bad it would suck to stick myself and them BAM out of nowhere my hand slipped and I poked myself. I had to do all the testing that is required , but the thing that sucks is that it was an unknown source so Im freaking out not knowing what to do! I just wanna cry. How long can viruses, bacteria live in water/disinfectant? I am so scared i wanna cry.:scrying: Can anyone give me any advice?:cry:

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scarcrimson said:
I was recently stuck by a pair of scissors that came from a suture kit. I am an er tech and part of my "responsibity" is to put the non disposable instruments in water and disinfectant and scrub them and prepare them for sterilization. Well the scissors that I was poked with (in the thumb) had been in the solution well over 8 hours probably more like 12 to 24 hours but I was scrubbing the scissors with a little scrub brush and my hand slipped causing me to poke myself in the thumb! As I was cleaning the darn things I noticed there was no blood or anything on the scissors that I could see but I was thinking to myself how bad it would suck to stick myself and them BAM out of nowhere my hand slipped and I poked myself. I had to do all the testing that is required , but the thing that sucks is that it was an unknown source so Im freaking out not knowing what to do! I just wanna cry. How long can viruses, bacteria live in water/disinfectant? I am so scared I wanna cry.:scrying: Can anyone give me any advice?:cry:

Breathe.

It depends on the disinfectant in question, but if it was at an effective concentration level, I would think that most pathogens would have been destroyed within minutes of hanging out in the solution. If it was bleach or CHG, then almost anything short of prions would be toast within about 10 minutes of soaking

You did the first round of testing. Good. Now just follow up with the protocol and get tested again in a few months. The risk of infection from the scenario you describe here is not very high at all.

As for a needlestick while flushing a picc... that is more concerning. OP says that it was the lumen that had not been used for blood draws, but presumably people have been drawing back to confirm that each lumen has a blood return, at least once per shift. Therefore, I would anticipate that there could be some virus present in that port. Again, from what is described, it sounds as if the infection risk is lower than if the stick had involved blood to blood contact, but I would still recommend following the facility's protocol regarding blood borne pathogen exposure. Follow up testing should be performed within 3-6 months, just to be sure. AND ADVOCATE LOUDLY FOR NEEDLE FREE IV ACCESS SYSTEMS!

We don't even use blunts anymore, except to withdraw medications from the vials. All of our access ports are now luer locks, greatly reducing the opportunity for needlestick injuries.

God bless you both. I've had a stick, too, this past year, and waiting to get my follow up tests done has been excruciating at times, even though my risk, like yours, is quite low. Any risk is still frightening with some of the diseases out there.

PS. I would be far more worried about HCV than about MRSA. If your immune system is present at all you shouldn't get enough colonization from a needlestick to go septic with MRSA. You're more likely to pick it up by not washing your hands often enough.

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The scissors had been soaking in a solution called PD 64 and it is (i think) a high level disinfectant. I was just worried because there were about 15 instruments soaking in the solution with these scissors. The Dr. I was working with told me that nothing would live in it, but it's just the thought that freaks me out!:bluecry1:

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