Hypochondriac nurse

[yeezimiller]

Hey everyone, I'm a new nurse and I think ima a completely hypochondriac. Last night I flushed my pt IV which had some blood return(because he always turns it off or puts the fluids in hold) and as I was flushing it was blocked so much that it squirted on me and some went on my shift and I think on my face. My biggest concern is that idk if it went in my eyes or mouth. This pt is homosexual and may be a drug abuse but nowhere in the chart said he had hiv or hep c. Should I be worried? What are the chances of it being blood that squirted on me or the saline mixed with some blood fluids? I'm freaking out !

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Did you follow the appropriate policies in reporting the exposure? Also, don't equate homosexuality and IV drug use as automatically having HIV and Hep C- that's a bit of a stereotype and stigmatization of an entire group (yes, they are at an increased risk, but no one is immune to or guaranteed to contract either of these viruses based on what groups they may identify as part of). You should pretty much treat everyone as though they may have a blood borne illness- that's what universal precautions are about.

Again, the best course of action is for you to follow the policy for body fluid exposure as set forth by the facility.

[yeezimiller]

Hi and thanks. But I honestly think it was the flush that splattered on me being that it couldn't go in the IV. Plus it was through an IV port which wasn't the closest to the patient

[IVRUS, BSN, RN]

Personally, I would see if the pump that I was using on him had locking capabilities which would lock him out and prevent him from turning the pump off, decreasing the rate etc. Also, when you were flushing and you meet resistance, did you push harder or did you stop flushing and aspirate? Whenever you meet resistance you should stop, then after ensuring that all clamps are open and that the catheter isn't kinked, aspirate approx 5 cc of blood and flush again. Gentle aspiration works wonders for occlusions and will usually restore patency. Remember when ascertainig patency of a line, always use a 10cc syring barrel of larger.

[cheezwizz90]

There are an estimated 36 million people infected with HIV worldwide. Most of those infections occurred through heterosexual contact; some estimates suggest 70% or more infections occur through heterosexual contact. Anywhere from 5-10% of infections worldwide occur through male-male sexual contact. Female-female transmission is extremely rare. In the United States, most cases of transmission occur through male-male sexual contact and injection drug users, with heterosexual transmission on the rise (as seen in the rising cases among women). It's important to remember that your behavior, and not your identity, is what puts you at risk for infection with HIV.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Is this post serious? I'm starting to think that OP is a troll, with all of the nonsense posts about Sharps containers attacking folks.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

Is this post serious? I'm starting to think that OP is a troll, with all of the nonsense posts about Sharps containers attacking folks.

I was thinking the same thing. Hahaha!

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Is this post serious? I'm starting to think that OP is a troll, with all of the nonsense posts about Sharps containers attacking folks.

...and this was OP's first post...

[Mavrick, BSN, RN]

...........I think on my face. This pt is homosexual and may be a drug abuse but nowhere in the chart said he had hiv or hep c. Should I be worried? QUOTE]

Am I having a 1980's flashback or is this poster a total homophobic bigot?

I think the patient should be worried about a nurse that doesn't have a clue either about HIV or when to stop forcing fluid into an IV.