TB scare

nyapa, RN · Jan 12, 2004

Your institution is LTC or acute?

weezieRN · Jan 12, 2004

acute care

suzanne4, RN · Jan 12, 2004

I have had the pleasure of taking care of patients over the past twenty five years that we found out later had active T.B. And not just one or two, but quite a few, just imagine suctioning patients in the ER or ICU, or working on an open heart team that also did alot of lung surgery. I have never tested positive not have any of my friends. Honestly, I would not worry about it, especially if you are in good health. Get some sleep, that will be the most beneficial for you, do not stay up worrying about this.

Agnus · Jan 12, 2004

I trust TB precautions were taken pending the test results.

Like the other poster said if you are not compromised you are unlikly to have a problem.

When I was a child my mother was hospitalized in a hospital that specialized in thorasic illnesses. It had previously been a TB sanitorium and they still had some TB patients.

Patients and staff alike were considered exposed. Though precautions were taken. I was not permitted into even the lobby as I was considered at risk as a child. I waved to mom in the window.

No one contracted nosocomial or work related TB. You are exposed to it quite regularly if you go shopping or do business where there are homless people an if you enter government and public buildings. If you have spent any time near people from eastern europe and such you may have been exposed.

TB strikes those who are imune compromised, with poor nutrition and poor general health. The generally healthy person can tollerate exposure without the risk you might suspect.

TB is not always in a contageous state or in a part of the body where contageon is a problem.

A classmate observed ortho surgery on a PT with Bone TB and it was unknow that the pt had it until they exposed the disease in the surgery. No one got sick.

BarbPick · Jan 12, 2004

In 1981, I converted. All it takes is about 8 hours worth of contact. This patient was a Federal prisoner. He robbed a bank and got into shoot out. He was taken to the largest trauma center in out area. We had him in SICU for about a month on a vent. They did daily chest xrays, but was diagnosed by the medical examiner when he died. The radiologist missed the active tb in his chest fims. PPD's were done on everyone who's name was on his chart, and all but one converted from neg to positive. I had to go on INH for a year. I now can't have another PPD. A hospital insisted and within 30 minutes a giant huge hard welt formed and it was very painful. I now have to have chest xrays prior to enployment.

I have never converted to active TB.

weezieRN · Jan 12, 2004

Your responses are very encouraging but I was within 2 feet of the man coughing all over me. He didn't really have a very forceful cough due to his MS but I can't help but still be worried for myself and family as well as the other staff especially some that are expecting children in a few months. His preliminary AFB was negative but since has comeback with a postive AFB smear. Through my research on the internet if I can understand them correctly he would have to have a postive culture because you can have mycobacilli present for other disease processes of the lung and not necessarily the micro bacilli associated with tuberculosis. I'm still trying to think how many days I had him as patient 3-4 is my guess . I am just hoping I am worrying for nothing and that it turns out to be some sort of error. This pt was on isolation precautions for possible flu which turned into a big tadoo because he came back positive for both and the lab said you can't have both at the same time so they retested him and he was negative for both(go figure) so I had most of the time some sort of mask on my face but not the proper one for TB. I will keep you updated on things. I just keep wondering where this cough i have came from so I hope it is nothing as it very well could be but I am sort of a very phobic person.