Questions on patients with Anthrax

[AmyL]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this. I haven't ventured outside of student forums, but I'm not a student anymore!

I always wear gloves when assessing any vital signs with any patient -- I'm not entirely sure if standard precautions prefers it this way, but I've always been pretty phobic in the acute setting.

For a patient with Anthrax inhalation, I'm of the understanding that it can be breathed in via spores, transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, or through the GI tract. But the CDC says that transmission likelihood is low.

So for Anthrax patients, is it necessary to put gloves on, but not a gown (as in contact precautions)? Mostly curious about checking blood pressure and pulse, not anything invasive.

Thank you.

[CraigB-RN, MSN, RN]

http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/edc/edrp/pdf/anthraxset.pdf

[Reno1978, BSN, RN]

Standard precautions.

[travel50]

Do you actually have a patient with respiratory anthrax?

[AmyL]

Thankfully, no. So I've settled with myself that it's standard precautions with whatever extra precautions are needed if there are cutaneous lesions. I guess my hangup is that it isn't strict contact precautions for cutaneous anthrax.