Central line deep tissue needlestick

Hi there, and many thanks for answering this. Great site by the way - I stumbled on it while searching for transmission risks.

I am an Infectious Diseases Registrar (in the US equivalent to a Fellow) in the UK - I was up late doing a night-shift and was putting a central line into a confused patient who jerked suddenly resulting in a needlestick to my left hand. It was through a thick glove but was with a large bore needle and I'm pretty sure it punctured a vessel due to the amount of bleeding (which looked venous).

I washed my hand under running water for about 2 mins without squeezing, with a delay of maybe 30 secs before doing so. I was on PEP within 45 mins; Combivir & Kaletra. The patient has a CD4 count of 194, VL of about 2,500 and Log of 3.4.

My Consultant has been very reassuring with regard to my risk, and having done over a year of HIV myself I consider myself reasonably up-to-date. I still wanted to check with a) someone distinguished in the field and b) someone who does not know me just to get some advice about whether she was being too reassuring. I know one can never quantify these things, but in your experience have you ever seen someone with a similar story as above seroconverting?

Again, I really appreciate your help.

[snippets69]

Do you know the status of the patient?  You already know the odds are way in your favor even if she/he was positive.  With the PEP it's close to a lock.  Stay on the PEP and get tested when the time is right.

[Teak]

Yes, I know a nurse on AidsMeds that got infected by a needle stick. Needle sticks are low compared to how many healthcare workers get stuck each year.