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Re-post, HELP!!!
Dear Medhelpers,
Thank you all so much for sharing all these professional, truth-telling and educational opinions&advices. I really have learnt a lot from this brilliant resource.
Here goes my story about the haunting fear of contracting HIV. I got my blood draw due to my personal health at a local hospital last week. There were a lot of people waiting in the room and the time interval between each one's blood draw was really short.(within 30 seconds i guess)
When it's my turn I noticed the phlebotomist got some blood on her glove(some on her finger). Obviously the gloves were NOT changed at all. And I know perfectly well that wearing glove is to protect them from the patients,not the other way around. But my concern is: when the phlebotomist
drew my blood, she had difficulty in drawing out the blood. She stuck twice or
3 times at my vein. SHE PULLS OUT(not completely) THE NEEDLE AND TOUCHED THE NEEDLE BODY AND THEN PUSHED IT INTO MY VEIN AGAIN. THE POINT WHERE SHE TOUCHED THE NEEDLE WAS INSERTED INTO MY VEIN AGIAN. She did this twice to me. I know she's not intentional, but this is really incautious.
I'm getting quite nervous now because I really saw the blood stain(look like fresh or wet) on her finger. Can this "touch and re-insert" behavior of the phlebotomist transmit HIV to me ? I'm afraid that the "needle body" she re-inserted into my vein could be contaminated by the blood on her fingers(blood from previous person or other). The room was crowded and the interval of each patient's blood draw is so short. Do I need an HIV test ?
Thank you very much for your help. And i think this may be useful for others too.
Thank you all so much for sharing all these professional, truth-telling and educational opinions&advices. I really have learnt a lot from this brilliant resource.
Here goes my story about the haunting fear of contracting HIV. I got my blood draw due to my personal health at a local hospital last week. There were a lot of people waiting in the room and the time interval between each one's blood draw was really short.(within 30 seconds i guess)
When it's my turn I noticed the phlebotomist got some blood on her glove(some on her finger). Obviously the gloves were NOT changed at all. And I know perfectly well that wearing glove is to protect them from the patients,not the other way around. But my concern is: when the phlebotomist
drew my blood, she had difficulty in drawing out the blood. She stuck twice or
3 times at my vein. SHE PULLS OUT(not completely) THE NEEDLE AND TOUCHED THE NEEDLE BODY AND THEN PUSHED IT INTO MY VEIN AGAIN. THE POINT WHERE SHE TOUCHED THE NEEDLE WAS INSERTED INTO MY VEIN AGIAN. She did this twice to me. I know she's not intentional, but this is really incautious.
I'm getting quite nervous now because I really saw the blood stain(look like fresh or wet) on her finger. Can this "touch and re-insert" behavior of the phlebotomist transmit HIV to me ? I'm afraid that the "needle body" she re-inserted into my vein could be contaminated by the blood on her fingers(blood from previous person or other). The room was crowded and the interval of each patient's blood draw is so short. Do I need an HIV test ?
Thank you very much for your help. And i think this may be useful for others too.
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