workplace exposure
Posted: Apr 30, 2008
QUESTION:
Hello,
I was recently working in a pediatrician's office when I was exposed to a patient's blood - his wound vac had just been emptied and there was blood on the outside that I came into contact with. I did not notice the blood right away, and therefore it was probably on my finger for approximately 20 min. before being washed off. That night I tested my skin for any cuts or abrasions with ETOH, but did not see anything or feel the ETOH in a cut. About a week after this, I experienced diarrhea 1x/day x 7 days, and had severe bone pain. 3 weeks later, I had a rash over my entire body x 1 day. The HIV status of the patient was unknown, and I was told by my supervisor that I did not need to contact infection control since it was a small amount of blood and was on intact skin. Do I have reason to be worried about this exposure?
Thanks!
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RESPONSE FROM:
I agree that the likelihood that this very minimal exposure produced HIV infection is fantastically small. Nevertheless, you will feel more comfortable knowing for sure and therefore, I would simply go and get an HIV test.
It takes about 6 weeks after the exposure before HIV antibodies are detectable.
DW
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