I had my first needle stick injury back in November 2009, I was working for Mollen Immunization clinic, and after giving an IM shot to a young girl (about 16-17) I accidently punctured my finger with the dirty needle. I dont know what happend, I guess it was a classic example of needle stick injury that so often happens to people working in the health care industry, you know we read about the statistics, thinking that some of it is made up, but than you realize (after being a victim yourself) that most nurses will be exposed to blood, dirty needle at one point in their lifetime, I guess you cant predict it, could happen regardless the precautions you take. I never followed up with my needle stick injury. I actually never told anyone. The girl looked like a girl next door, clean cut, goody, goody girl. Yet, sometimes I wonder...
I got stuck once with a dirty needle during my first year of practice. I was injecting insulin into a combative older patient. Her arm was being held by another employee, but she still managed to swing her elbow back into me and the needle popped out of her arm and into my finger. I didn't want to report it but the other RN helping me had seen it and made me.
As far as clean needles go, I've stuck myself numerous times... just throw a tegaderm on it and get back to work.
i've had one dirty needle stick - if you can even call it that - shot into an iv line above the pump, stuck my thumb when putting the needle into the sharps container. Not really a big deal, but still got checked. I've also stuck myself with my dog's insulin syringes a few times - mostly from him wiggling. I don't worry about that too much, either. I don't even count clean needle sticks as being a stick - that's just chalked up to clumsiness
I had given an injection and was turning to put the syringe and needle into the box and a family member ran into me. I dropped the syringe needle first and it went straight into an airhole on top of my shoe. An itsy bitsy tiny hole and never hit the leather! Since I am a reall weinie I couldn't stand to take it out and my friend had to, but first she had to take a picture of it. She just couldn't stop laughing. Until she had to take my patients so I could get it taken care of and have a bunch of labs done
I don't "count" clean sticks either. They can hurt a bit, get some blood on things, need to start over with whatever is being done, but there is less danger to you than if you accidentally cut your finger with a knife while preparing dinner.
As for the OP, you should have reported this and gottten it checked at the time. First, this is for your own protection. As mentioned before, looks can be deceiving and you need to be certain. Also, albeit less important, the product may have been defective in some way...perhaps the entire lot of it. It will be checked out and if something needs to be changed or improved (for example, an easier to use needle guard) then this can shed light on it.
I discovered on the home page that you can look at threads with the most "kudos" on them...I don't know how to copy a link to a thread or else I would, but there's a post on there about a new RN who had contracted HIV from a stick...I cried reading it. So sad and scary.
Only 18 months in but I've never come close yet. I'm very careful about dirty needles, even to the point of people rolling their eyes at me.
I was a Marine and we were taught meticulous firearm safety (for example, never let the muzzle of your weapon - unloaded or not - traverse another person) and I bring the same mindset to needles.
I was trying to draw blood on a meth-head and she jerked her hand... I launched myself back and flung my hands up and out... we all got a good chuckle at my "over-reaction" but I *didn't* get stuck.
I actually keep a pair of leather gloves in my bag for what I consider to be high-risk sticks.
I poked myself with a sterile insulin syringe right before drawing up the insulin. Thank god it was a sterile needle with nothing in it- this was when i was a student. so i will never make that mistake again
I did years ago. Infection Control nurse told me not to worry as the patient was an elderly white female (not on the high risk list at the time). However, this patient was a retired phlebotomist who worked during 70's-80's when HIV was not known and gloves were not required. So I worried anyway (my strongest attribute). 14 years later I only think of it once in a while. I feel blessed to have missed a big bullet.
I've stuck myself at least 3 different times with clean needles and I didn't report it, just tossed the needle in the sharps container and started again.
The one time I almost got stuck with a dirty needle was when I was trying to draw blood with a butterfly needle on an AAO 40-something year-old man. I had told him what I was going to do and he agreed but as soon as I stuck him, he jerked back his hand and the needle came out and almost stuck my finger. Before I could think I yelled, "you don't ever do that, I could have stuck myself" then I took two deep breaths and repeated that more calmly to the man. It was a close-call and the guy had a bunch of blood-borne diseases I could have contracted. I didn't find it funny one bit.
If I ever stick myself with a dirty needle, I'm reporting it ASAP! There's just too much at risk to keep it to oneself, IMO.
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Five&Two Will Do
299 Posts
Never can tell what somebody may have, or how they may behave, or who they hang out with based soley on their looks.