needlestick

I'm really sorry that happened to you! What a scary experience. I'm not involved in occupational health, but I wanted to wish you good luck in working things out.

I think I would be making a call to OSHA. They need to do things the right way, for your safety and your peace of mind. Good luck.

Hey Y'all

For what it's worth, you have joined a remarkable fraternity/sorority of health care workers and almost all of us turn up negative in the long haul. Unfortunately, not ALL of us. Therefore the 'club'.

My exposure was from a young male pt, head injury, very androgenously dressed, nails polished--I was starting a periph IV to replace the EMS line and drawing labs, lots of hand-motion from cathelon to lab tubes to tape to fluid line--and I didn't push the button to withdraw the needle into the sheath. Pt abruptly seized--shoved the bare needle into my thumb.

My first thought was (I'll try to be delicate) "I'll never have sex again." Yes-before I actually thought I might DIE from the exposure. So maybe the stereotypes about males are true for me. Anyhow....

Once you are admitted to the 'club' you hear amazing stories. My favorite was the one about the Med Student putting in his first central line. With the stylus dripping blood and the catheter advanced into the SubClav Vein he was so elated he spun around and told the assisting RN "I GOT IT!!!" Unfortunately--he also 'got' her--ramming the stylus completely thru her hand.

Amazingly, I turned up negative (to the relief of my MRS!!!) and so did the RN in the story and so did my androgenous, nail-polished patient.

The lesson: It's one of life's really horrible experiences but most of us who go thru it end up OK and probably you will to.

Keep the faith....

Papaw John

I've been stuck by needles (yes, with an s) before. I got a needle stick from a patient with hep C (only my "employer" wouldn't pay for any kind of testing because I was a "private contractor"...the crookedness of some agencies makes me sick....

but anyway, I'm okay. I read a lot about needle sticks, and the chances of getting anything (from a sub Q stick, especially) are pretty slim.

Unless the needle was dripping with blood I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

I had a needlestick back in May. Patient was Hep neg, HIV pos. I'm in that waiting period between testing. My employer was much more supportive, and everything was done per protocol by the ER. I'm still sitting on "pins and needles" (pun intended) as I wait...

Based on my experience, there's not a prophylaxis for exposure to Hep C. The HIV prophylaxis should be started within 3 hours, so if the patient tested positive at this time, I don't know if taking meds would help or not...

Were you tested for HIV when your blood was drawn? Our HIV testing is done through the county health department. You'll want to establish a baseline if you were not tested.

Here's the Needlestick Hot Line that I was given. It's maintained for healthcare workers by the University of California. 1-888-448-4911. They are considered to be the most current source of information r/t healthcare workers and needlesticks. I think "888" numbers are toll free.

Finally, find out if your facility has a protocol/policy and what it states. Did they violate their own policy? You might find out who files workman's comp claims and try talking to them. OSHA is probably a resource...maybe more appropriate for making changes for the next person that gets stuck, though. Is there a corporate level human resources/occupational health department?

I'm sorry that you're going through this. No matter what the statistics state, it's hard not to "lose any sleep over it."

I got stuck with a needle a year and a half ago. Fortunately, it was after giving an insulin injection, so it was a small needle. It turned out okay. But I bawled for a couple days thinking I was doomed.

I can't believe they didn't start you on ARVs, or at least give you the option! (did they give you the option?) I was stuck about a year ago, pt was HepC&B+, HIV+, with a butterfly needle: definitely the scariest moment in my life so far. For about a week afterwards I was a mess - bursting into tears with no provocation, etc. But my hospital definitely followed protocol, sending me straight to the ER and starting me on several ARVs within the hour. I was also told one of the meds I was starting - Epivir - *may* provide some protection against HepC as well, so that made me feel a little better (even though I'm not sure it's been proven).

Though you definitely need to push your employers off their butts to start managing your case properly, the thing you should remember in order to stay sane is that this happens every day, to countless HCW just like you, and that very, very, VERY few of us ever seroconvert.

I just obtained my first needlestick last week (hopefully my last). It was a TB syringe that I had just injected lidocaine into a pt prepping for IV insertion. We both turned up neg for HIV, Hep B&C but man...it sure was scary. I will get checked in 6 weeks, 3 mos, 6 mos and a year.

TO the OP, I am sorry that your employer is not handling this. I would be on the phone to OSHA if I were you.

Hi all,

I've encountered a similar situation within the last week. Pt jerked his arm and I was stuck.

The patient is HIV (-) but I just found out Friday that he is Hep C (+). I, too, was told to go to ER after my shift to address the incident. This wasn't the appropriate way to handle this and for that, I am very, very concerned.

BTW, Employee Health Services said I could stop taking the ARV's after it was found that the pt was HIV (-). I did so, the side effects were awful (the neuropathy was the worst). It has been five days since I d/c'd the ARV's, but I am still feeling VERY fatigued and just generally crummy. Has anyone else encountered this?

Thanks for this forum.

Shawna