hiv and infections

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yesterday I had a patient who bled from an incision a pretty large quantity of blood. he was hiv positive. I didn't get any blood on my skin and had gloves on when holding pressure at the site but now I just keep replaying it in my head and worrying myself about some getting on me and I was just unaware. like if it splashed in my eye or mouth or nose without me realizing. I don't know if just being paranoid but I can't get it out of my head

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

From American Nurse Today (emphasis added):

The risk of developing HIV after a needlestick injury is about 0.3% (after a splash 0.09%)
That means you have less than 1/10 of a percentage point of becoming infected if you were even exposed to the patient's blood (mucous membrane, non intact skin). Take a deep breath, realize that the chances of transmission in this case are extremely small, see your own PCP if you think you should, and if you truly can't get it to stop playing in your mind, perhaps speak with someone to educate yourself about blood borne pathogens.
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great thanks. what about if I had gotten the blood on my scrubs or pockets and touched it with bare hands? I'm sure I'm being over paranoid but I'm just going through every possible scenario trying to get it off my mind

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
great thanks. what about if I had gotten the blood on my scrubs or pockets and touched it with bare hands? I'm sure I'm being over paranoid but I'm just going through every possible scenario trying to get it off my mind

You are paranoid. Are you immune compromised? Did you have an open cut, wound or sore (no scab)? HIV dies when it dries and is NOT virulent Be more afraid of hepatitis. Go read the CDC website. Go learn about blood borne pathogens. You almost have to try and get infected with Hiv

Or start here, https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/how-you-get-hiv-aids/

Go speak with an educator at your local health department or HIV/STD clinic to educate yourself before you lose your mind.

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Do you worry this much with all patients? Think about the patients you treat that don't know they have HIV or don't disclose it.

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thanks everyone. I guess I am being paranoid. I'm just trying to replay the whole scene in my head and am freaking myself out

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
thanks everyone. I guess I am being paranoid. I'm just trying to replay the whole scene in my head and am freaking myself out

Just stop. You will make yourself insane. Yes you are being paranoid and unrealistic about a zero risk event. Yes I said zero risk hiv is not a sturdy virus once it's outside the body. It doesn't live in dried blood, on surfaces, on clothes, on hands, in the air. You have to try really hard in a casual situation to contract AIDS from an HIV+ patient symptomatic of not. You are more of a danger to the HIV+ if you don't use universal precautions and wash your hands than he is to you

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

You would definitely know if blood splashed in your eyes or mouth!! However if this was an arterial bleed or an ED/trauma scenario why were you not wearing a mask and shield?

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the patient was actually being walked down for discharge! the incision started to bleed when we got to the security office where they only had gloves.

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I guess I'm just thinking of how much blood there was and all the possible ways I could have been infected.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
I guess I'm just thinking of how much blood there was and all the possible ways I could have been infected.

Stop thinking. Stop obsessing. Stop the paranoia. This isn't 1985. There has been a tremendous amount of research and factual information available in the past decade. Get the facts. Start by reviewing the basic information in the link I gave you above. You have a significantly greater risk of being infected by hepatitis than you do by HIV.

Are you a licensed RN? Did you not take basic microbiology and nursing fundamentals? Even in medical surgical nursing this is covered. Your obsession with contracting HIV from a self-declared patient with a bleeding wound and no open cuts, wounds, sores on you is a bit concerning. Get the facts.

I'm beginning to sound like a 1990's PSA from NBC...

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Specializes in ER, Med-surg.

If you are this frightened of simply being present around blood from an HIV+ patient, you either need to educate yourself or get out of bedside care.

1. HIV is not extremely virulent- even if you'd actually had a needlestick exposure with this patient, the risk of contracting HIV is very, very, very low.

2. You were not exposed- you had on PPE and on top of that had no skin compromise. No blood actually got on you, and if it had, which it didn't, there was no route of entry through your unbroken skin.

3. *Every* patient potentially has bloodborne diseases- some of them much more virulent than HIV. Many of them will not know or will not disclose. A patient who discloses their known status is probably one of the lower-risk scenarios you encounter- although as long as you practice proper universal precautions, almost all scenarios you encounter in your practice are low-risk.

This is absolute paranoia on your part, and a little disturbing given that the above facts should be already understood by an RN. If you don't understand the routes of transmission of a communicable disease you regularly encounter in your patients, you need some review.

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