RootsAir From Costa Rica, joined Feb 2005, 4180 posts, RR: 44 Posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 1658 times:
Hi folks
I wanted to share with you these last 24 hours of stress. Yesterday I was assisting an operation for my Internship. Well the surgeon was just finished doing a stitch and the instrumentist then took the stitiching needle with the aid of a pin. Well she didn't see my hand was on the way and there it struck my finger. Luckily the injury wasn't too serious and actually no blood came out after I pressed it. Juste got the lab results and the patient had neither HIV, Hepatitis B or C( the latter remanis to be confirmed)
Just wanted t know if this already happened to other of my fellow A.netters since I have noticed quite a few are work with health care .
Regards
BM
A man without the knowledge of his past history,culture and origins is like a tree without roots
Johnboy From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 2477 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 1635 times:
Years ago, while in was in nursing school I got stuck by a needle hanging off of IV piggyback tubing (back when there were no such things as "needleless" systems).
Unfortunately, the guy was from jail (jailhouse tats, IVDU, prior blood transfusions) and was positive for Hep B (thankfully not HIV). I got two large injections of gamma globulin (see how old I am, lol) in my ass!
Thank goodness. Nowadays(don't think it existed back there) people get post exposure prophylaxis which consists of a tritherapy drug treatment. This, however is a very heavy treatment full of secondary effects...... however still better than getting HIV
A man without the knowledge of his past history,culture and origins is like a tree without roots
CURLYHEADBOY From Italy, joined Feb 2005, 923 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1609 times:
A couple of months ago me and a colleague were performing bladder surgery on a dog; at one point of the procedure it was necessary to remove some of the bladder content. To do that, my colleague used 20 ml syringe and, after he finished, he raised the syringe nail-up to check the content. At the same time I was lowering my hand to reach for an instrument and got the damn 18G nail right into my hand. Plus, since the syringe was pushed against the patient body, it also injected some of its content. Urine is sterile, so no risk of infection but I can tell you that the pain was terrible! My colleague had to finish the operation almost all by himself, since I couldn't use my punctured hand. He deserved it for laughing at the incident at first
If God had wanted men to fly he would have given them more money...
SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71 Reply 5, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 1569 times:
Scary thing! Hope the hepatitis C is confirmed negative.
When my daughter was a flight attendant they had to pull the trashbags out of the lav enclosures. Twice she got a needle stick from a discarded syringe. Twice they had to take the needle and check its content and background. She had to sweat it out, waiting, wondering why someone was injecting themselves in an airplane lavatory. Both times it turned out to be legitimate insulin needles.
A few years ago I was instructing in a borrowed classroom back in the midwest. A heavy object fell off the wall as I was writing on the marker board and lacerated the back of my hand badly. I grabbed a couple of paper towels and went down to the office to ask about a first aid kit. They didn't have one (in violation of state law I'm sure) but she took the bloody wad of paper towels out of my hand, getting my blood all over herself. I was horrified at her casual handling of a total stranger's blood. Doesn't she watch the news?
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
Redngold From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 6907 posts, RR: 51 Reply 6, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1530 times:
I stuck myself with a Felivax needle a couple of years ago. It was right out of the sterile pack (I was assembling vaccines), hadn't been used for injection yet, and it didn't have solution in it either, but it stung like a @#$!! Since it was clean I didn't have to take any medication or fill out a report.
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 61 Reply 7, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1497 times:
fortunately the only times i've been stuck were while working on cadavers...so it never was all that bad....i don't think schools would get cadavers with patients who had HIV/hepatitis, etc...
on a funny note, a friend of mine asked me many years ago if we were able to bring our cadavers home..i told him sure..i'll bring it in an ambulance, and somehow sneak it upto my condo with a big "nevermind the smell" sign....
SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71 Reply 9, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1479 times:
Quoting AsstChiefMark (Reply 8): He refused to be tested. So far I've been negative.
That should not be optional once a health care worker has been (possibly) exposed to anything he might have. What kind of a selfish son of a bitch would refuse to be tested?
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
Mt99 From United States of America, joined May 1999, 6364 posts, RR: 7 Reply 10, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1478 times:
Well, based on my limited knowlegde on the subject, HIV can take several months to show up, so techinically the patient could have contracted it 2 weeks before and still show up as negative. I believe that if you go a 13 week period and still be negative (6 months is 100%), then you are pretty much in the clear.
Also, getting exposed to HIV doesnt automatically mean that you will catch it. There is a risk, but its not 100% certain.
Again, im no expert.. others here are probably better in answeing this.
RootsAir From Costa Rica, joined Feb 2005, 4180 posts, RR: 44 Reply 11, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 1475 times:
Quoting Mt99 (Reply 10):
Well, based on my limited knowlegde on the subject, HIV can take several months to show up, so techinically the patient could have contracted it 2 weeks before and still show up as negative. I believe that if you go a 13 week period and still be negative (6 months is 100%), then you are pretty much in the clear.
an anamnesis was done to the patient who was a 70 year old man who has had cancer for the past 6 months and hasn't been in great condition... The anamnesis showed the man had no risk factor for the last 3 months (which is the time the test takes to show positive if ever he got something)...so I can take iot for granted the risk is minimal
A man without the knowledge of his past history,culture and origins is like a tree without roots
AsstChiefMark From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 1459 times:
Quoting SlamClick (Reply 9): What kind of a selfish son of a bitch would refuse to be tested?
Someone who's afraid to find out the results. He probably participated in risky behavior and suspects that he's positive for hepatitis or HIV. Besides, he's a transient without a permanent address. He may not have wanted to wait around in the same area awaiting the results. He may not have cared about me or wanted to accept the responsibility to check back for the results later.
Sean1234 From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 411 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 1381 times:
So if you get pricked by an HIV/AIDS needle, am I correct in understanding you will be ok if you get treatment right away? If I recall within 24hrs you get treatment it is 100% you will kill the virus and within 48hrs 50% you will kill it. What exactly is the treatment and what are the secondaries?
Redngold From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 6907 posts, RR: 51 Reply 16, posted (7 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 1372 times:
Sean -
you take a course of the same medication that HIV+ patients take to control the progress of their disease. I think you take some of the protease inhibitors, but not AZT.
Sponsor Message: 
From Costa Rica, joined Feb 2005, 4180 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 2477 posts, 
From Greece, joined Jul 1999, 3448 posts, 
From Italy, joined Feb 2005, 923 posts, 
Urine is sterile, so no risk of infection but I can tell you that the pain was terrible! My colleague had to finish the operation almost all by himself, since I couldn't use my punctured hand. He deserved it for laughing at the incident at first 
From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2004, 7434 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
