How to handle/ clean infectious vomit

Karou · Dec 30, 2014

Use gloves when cleaning any bodily fluid. Wash your hands afterwards. If the patient is projectile vomiting then I might wear a mask. Otherwise, no.

Someone correct me if I am wrong but a general stomach virus isn't airborne and unless you expect vomit to enter your mouth, a mask isn't necessary. If they have an airborne/droplet infectious disease then you will already be wearing a mask and they will be on precautions.

chwcbesteph, RN · Dec 30, 2014

It totally depends on what you mean by "infectious". Are they on contact precautions?? (MRSA, C. difficile) Is their infection airborne or droplet? You should already have your PPE on when you enter their room. As far as cleaning anything up goes, depending on the surface, just glove up and improvise, using paper towels to get the mass of it and then making sure you decontaminate per facility policy. Then wash your hands five times

If a patient is projectile vomiting and has a contact infection, you may ask for the option for goggles and extra gear. Of course, if you don't know if the person is infectious or not, you need to just take standard precautions and glove up.

And to answer the above question, yes, you'll have a mask on for airborne/droplet. For airborne, you'l have a fitted respirator (like for TB). Airborne precautions are pretty dang rare. And I'd venture to guess that stomach viruses would probably place someone on droplet precautions.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2014

what precausionary measures do you take in case the person throwing up is infectious or if there is a chance that they might be?
Do you have to wear gloves and mask since viral particles from vomit can float through air?
What if the patient throws up on you? do you have to sanitize yourself?

I know you are considering nursing as a profession. Many who enter this profession are concerned about getting "diseases". I have been a nurse for 35 years and the only thing I ever "caught" was scabies from a nursing home patient that had an unreported outbreak.

There is something called universal precautions.....CDC - Bloodborne Infectious Diseases - Universal Precautions - NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic

Following these standards protects you from a majority of pathogens....yes protective gear has been in the headlines because of Ebola...however, in most cases that type of protection is not necessary.

Regular vomit from a non Ebola patient, while disgusting, requires soap and water. Each facility has policies in place for isolation that follow CDC guidelines. Pretty standard stuff.

You will learn all about it in school.

http://www.virginia.edu/uvaprint/HSC/pdf/08006.pdf

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2014

Universal precautions. One of my favorite doctors explains this to lay people as "you assume all bodily fluids are infected even though they are unlikely to be." Wear gloves. If you were vomited on, ask the OR to send you up a pair of their scrubs and go change in the bathroom. Take your clothes home and wash them or throw them away, depending on how expensive what you wore to work was. Wash your hands after handling bodily fluids, with soap and water.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2014

I have been a nurse for 35 years and the only thing I ever "caught" was scabies from a nursing home patient that had an unreported outbreak.

The worse thing I ever heard of a colleague getting from work was an STD...but she was sleeping with half the residents in the hospital, so there ya go. It's possible that she got it at the hospital, but more likely at somebody else's nice warm (double) bed.

They don't call them "standard" precautions for nothing.

From another old thread:

"Universal Precautions" is an OSHA term, defined in OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. It refers specifically to "blood and other potentially infectious materials," or "OPIM." Note that OPIM DOES NOT include certain body fluids/substances, such as vomit, urine, feces, sweat, salive, tears, et. al., UNLESS they are contaminated with visible blood.
"Standard Precautions" is a term adopted by the CDC. It takes the idea of OSHA's Universal Precautions but expands it to include, basically, everything. As some say, "it it's wet and it ain't yours, don't touch it."
The most important difference between the two is this: OSHA is a regulatory agency, and thus those things defined by Universal Precautions are ENFORCEABLE as regulations. the CDC, however, is not a regulatory agency. The CDC issues GUIDELINES, not REGULATIONS. Guidelines are not enforceable in the same manner that Regulations are.