TB exposure?? HELP

Wuzzie · Mar 23, 2018

You need to speak to your PCP, the infectious disease department and employee health. They will best be able to address your exposure because they will have access to the patient's information. We really can't offer you much as most of us are not ID experts and we weren't there.

peripateticRN, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2018

You should probably talk to your Occupational Health and Safety person about potential exposure, but for piece of mind, it typically takes long exposures in close contact with an active case to become infected. While I'm not saying don't wear your PPE, the chances of picking it up with one, 1 min exposure is nil.

snowflower2016 · Mar 23, 2018

Are you a student? Or employed by hospital?

Either way, follow up with manager of unit and ask to be notified if the patient's cultures or blood results come up positive. If they are positive then go to student health or employee health (it should be covered) and get the quantiferon blood test ASAP. Then return to student/employee health a month later for a follow up quantiferon blood test.

If you are positive with first test....it wasn't this exposure that made you positive.

If you are negative with the first test....wait and see.

If you are positive with second test....relax...you'll go on antibiotics and be okay.

If you are negative with the second test....you're okay (for now ).

Working as a nurse, you will be exposed to TB and may not even know it. It is one of the risks of our jobs. Hang in there and try to relax, I can think of several things worse that a possible TB exposure. It CAN be treated.

OldDude · Mar 23, 2018

All good advice and sound advice. Worrying yourself into a fit isn't going to help you. I'll bet you've already had similar exposure in the check out line of your grocery store.

Veldtor, BSN, MSN · Mar 23, 2018

How was that not brought up in handoff? That's kind of important to know.. although I will say, we've been exposed multiple times in the ED and as far as I know none of us had ever actually contacted it. You should be fine too. Just go through the proper protocols and write an incident report.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2018

I personally wouldn't spend one minute of my time worrying about a brief moment spent in a TB patient's room without PPE. I certainly wouldn't be agonizing over it.

Talk to your doctor or course and notify your clinical instructor, etc.

Triddin · Mar 23, 2018

I've cared for vented patients for days before we discovered they were the positive and I've yet to get tb. It's actually pretty hard to catch. I think our ID nurse said They would have to be coughing directly in your face for hours before you would be at risk. You'll be ok

K+MgSO4, BSN · Mar 24, 2018

Breath deep, you are absolutely fine.

I have just been involved in a staff trace for confirmed pulmonary TB.

Question

1) Where is the TB? Pulmonary? Abdominal ? Bonr?

Answer

1) only pTB is transmitable unless the abdo cavity or joint is opened.

2) was he actively coughing with haemoptysis?

This is the only way it was transmitted in a general ward

3) most importantly, were you in there for 8 hrs cumulative?

The chance of you having TB from this 1min exposure is as good as me losing 25kg in the next week without a lower limb amputation.

Just like VRE, MRSA etc. The risk of picking something up from a shopping trolley, train holding bar is much riskier and we do that everyday.

Trauma Columnist · Mar 24, 2018

You have received some solid advice - contact your PCP or Employee Health for further issues.