Needle Stick! OMG!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

:eek: Yes, I have done the unthinkable.........me of all folks.......OB/employee health nurse. How could this happen to me?

I was helping out of the floor. Went to give IV meds, and No i really don't know if there was blood backed up in the port. I flushed the port w/ 3cc NS, gave the IV Lasix, and started to flush the port again. The patient jerked her arm away and the needle stuck into my thumb, deep. Crap it hurt and pissed me off too.

NO we don't use a needleless system at our small rural south ga hospital.

Finished w/ the patient, finger bleed freely, I washed it with antibacterial soap, went thru the protocol.......drug test, alcohol test, HIV and Hep test...........incident report......etc..........

The doc had the patient tested for Hep. He said he wasn't worried about HIV.......

So, here's my question..........pt. background......80 year old female.....never had a blood transfusion.

After I did all of that, the infection control person says.......do you want to take the medicine for AIDS/HIV.........well I didn't.......I didn't think it was necessary and wasn't sure of side effects or even haven't heard much about this.

Was i wrong? What would you have done?

BTW.......my hep has come back neg.........don't know when the HIV will return.

age does not make a difference when it comes to HIV. I have cared for many older women with HIV....usually their husbands gave it to them d/t wandering ways. I would recommend her be tested.

Specializes in Anesthesia.

2banurse,

Somewhere up there I think I saw that you were wondering what the odds are re: needle sticks & various infectious diseases. I copied this info for you from a website I made on universal precautions in the tattooing & body piercing setting when I was in nursing school:

If you are stuck with a needle contaminated with HIV, your chances of becoming infected with the virus are 1 in 300...

Get stuck by a needle contaminated with Hepatitis B (HBV) & you have even greater risk of infection. Up to 4 of every 25 of these needle stick injuries will lead to infection in people who have not been vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis C (HCV) is another of those notorious viruses. Needle sticks contaminated with HCV have an infection risk as high as 3 in 50.

Metules, T. and Ventura, M. (2001). A nurse's guide to the new needlestick law. RN, 64, (10). p.1-4 and 10-12.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Glad to hear your clear for now. Best wishes.

Specializes in Research,Peds,Neuro,Psych,.

I work with Pediatric HIV patients from time to time..however the clinic serves adults as well. I can think of about 8 patients right now who are over the age of 60....I would take the meds, but that's just me. Ditto to what someone else said: They tested for HepB but not HIV??!! Terrible..

Best wishes...the odds are that you are fine, but why take chances?

Specializes in LTC, Agency, HHC.
I might add that in our facility, it's not a matter of "asking" the doctor to run blood tests. Hepatitis screening is standard protocol on source patients for needle sticks, as is attempting to obtain an HIV consent for that testing. We are not legally allowed to test for HIV without that signed consent.

I, too, am horrified that there are no needleless systems in place there. When was the last time JCAHO came through? Are they due soon? You can request a meeting with inspectors to report concerns. Granted, altho you are protected by whistleblower laws, you are risking your job, but I'd be inclined to at least mention this to my coworkers. They should ALL be outraged.

I got stuck on saturday after giving an insulin injection and the doc ordered hep panel and hiv. WHY WHY WHY do we need patient's consent for HIV testing if we get stuck with a needle??????? I don't understand....isn't this taking patient rights way too far???

Specializes in Critical care, Home health, Tele, Agency.
I am truly sorry to hear that you got stuck! Maybe as the employee health nurse you could push for a needleless system

Thanks for your reply, and yes, we did start out several years ago w/ a needless system.......and honestly, I don't know what happened to them....as far as the HIV, the lab said they didn't actually need her permission to test her.......isn't that illeg?

No its not illegal...it is ok to draw a patient now when there is a needle stick...without permission if there is already blood drawn and in the lab.

Specializes in all things maternity.

I have taken the Hep B series 3 times...each time my titers come back negative. The only information my employee health nurse could offer me was "no need to keep repeating them, you are apparently a non-converter". What the heck does this mean?

Specializes in Emergency Room.

What kills me about your OP is that the doc said he "wasn't worried about HIV." Ya think he would be worried if HE was the who had gotten stuck? I'm sure with this being a rural hospital he has known this person for years and thinks he know everything about her BUT still.....

Glad to hear everything is coming out okay for you.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.
What is the incidence of someone getting a needlestick getting HIV or HepC if the patient is positive for either or both? Also, in the nursing program, are you trained with both needle and needleless injections?

Kris

We used needleless IV systems in my nursing program, which is what the PP's are referring to. These systems use syringes that can attach to IV systems with no needle needed.

Of course, good old fashioned IM & SC injections use needles, although all that I have seen have safety devices in place. Wouldn't it be cool if we didn't need needles at all? :chuckle

My instructor from hell actually recapped one, right in front of me.

Eeek! Recapped one! You were right to keep your mouth shut since she is your instructor, but eek! :eek:

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