What is the protocol for needle stick injury?

What is the protocol for needle stick injury?

Wash needlesticks and cuts with soap and water. Flush splashes to the nose, mouth, or skin with water. Irrigate eyes with clean water, saline, or sterile irrigants. Report the incident to your supervisor.

How likely is it to get hep C from a needle stick?

The risk of transmission of HCV after a needlestick exposure from a hepatitis C-positive source is estimated at between 2-10%.

How often do needle sticks occur?

According to the CDC, some 385,000 health care workers accidentally stick themselves with needles every year. Your chances of catching a disease from a single needle stick are usually very low. About 1 out of 300 health care workers accidentally stuck with a needle from someone with HIV get infected.

How long after a needlestick should you get tested?

You should be tested for HCV antibody and liver enzyme levels (alanine amino- transferase or ALT) as soon as possible after the exposure (baseline) and at 4-6 months after the exposure. To check for infection earlier, you can be tested for the virus (HCV RNA) 4-6 weeks after the exposure.

How long can a disease live on a needle?

Since it’s inside a syringe, the blood isn’t as exposed to air as it is on other surfaces. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , when the temperature and other conditions are just right, HIV can live as long as 42 days in a syringe, but this typically involves refrigeration.

What tests are done after a needlestick?

If you sustain a needlestick injury, take the following actions immediately: • Wash the wound with soap and water. Alert your supervisor and initiate the injury reporting system used in your workplace. Identify the source patient, who should be tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C infections.

What to do if you accidentally stick yourself with a used needle?

What should I do if I injure myself with a used needle?

1. encourage the wound to bleed, ideally by holding it under running water.
2. wash the wound using running water and plenty of soap.
3. do not scrub the wound while you’re washing it.
4. do not suck the wound.
5. dry the wound and cover it with a waterproof plaster or dressing.

How do you know if your Hep C is getting worse?

Symptoms of end-stage liver disease may include:

1. Easy bleeding or bruising.
2. Persistent or recurring yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice)
3. Intense itching.
4. Abdominal pain.
5. Loss of appetite.
6. Nausea.
7. Swelling due to fluid buildup in your abdomen and legs.
8. Problems with concentration and memory.

Why are needle sticks so serious?

Even though the acute physiological effects of a needlestick injury are generally negligible, these injuries can lead to transmission of blood-borne diseases, placing those exposed at increased risk of infection from disease causing pathogens, such as the hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human …

What happens if you accidentally poke yourself with a used needle?

If you come into contact with blood or body fluids, always treat them as potentially infectious. If you prick yourself with a used needle, hold the affected limb down low to get it to bleed. Do not squeeze the wound or soak it in bleach. Wash the area with warm water and soap.

Can you use the same needle twice on yourself?

Both needle and syringe must be discarded once they have been used. It is not safe to change the needle and reuse the syringe – this practice can transmit disease.

What happens if you touch a used needle?

If a person sustains an injury from a discarded used needle in the community it usually causes a great degree of anxiety and distress. The main fear is that the injury caused by the discarded used needle may result in infection with HIV or hepatitis. The risk of acquiring these infections is extremely low.

What are the requirements for a needlestick tray?

Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act and the requirement to include safety-engineered sharps devices in pre-packaged surgical kits or trays. OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards and regulations.

How many people have been injured by needlesticks?

3 percent of the Center s for Disease Contr ol and Prevention (CDC) documented cases of health care workers who contracted HIV from needlestick injuries involved injuries with hollow -bore, blood -filled needles ( CDC, 1998 a). This data may appear to be “old”, dating back five or six years.

What should you do after a needlestick injury?

It also outlines what steps you should take after an injury and your legal rights and protections—especially under the federal 2000 Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act. Chapters Two and Three focus on how you and your colleagues can take specific steps toward needlestick pre- vention in your health care institution.

When do you need to do a follow up on a needle stick?

Most now recommend a follow-up screen at 3 or 6 months. If postexposure prophylaxis is recommended, the full 28-day course must be completed. Studies have shown that compliance with the recommendations is poor, likely owing to the side effect profile. [ 16]