Risk of hiv by Vacutainer Blood Collection System

[sinsopty]

Hi Dr Edwards,
My anxiety its Killing Me.
When i went to take my test for my past interocuorse the nurse use a vacutainer System.
As you know The Vacutainer System consists of a double-pointed needle, a plastic holder or adapter and a series of vacuum tubes with rubber stoppers of various colors.
The Vacutainer needle has a sharp point at both ends, and usually is covered by a rubber sheath, with one end being shorter than the other. The Vacutainer holder is a plastic sleeve into which the phlebotomist screws the double pointed Vacutainer needle.Vacutainer tubes are glass tubes sealed with a partial vacuum inside by rubber stoppers. The air pressure inside the tube is negative, less than the normal environmen.
Ok this is the situation,  the needle of course was NEW, the tube of course was New but the HOLDER was resuable.
I saw a very small dried blood exactly on the the part that you screw the the double pointed Vacutainer needle.
in theory there vas no risk because the needle is new but y need to hear your advice.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

At ths time in North America, the "sleeves" that vacutainers needles screw into are no longer re-used but this is more to prevent health care workers from getting needle sticks than anything else.  Your risk from having your blood drawn using a sleeve with dried blood in it is zero.  First because the HIV, if present would not survive in the environment and secondly because all of the blood obtained using a vacuatiner flows out of you, not inward.

Zero risk and no need for testing.  Take care.  EWH

[sinsopty]

Doc thanks for your answer,and for all your patience to help people like me.
I wish you the best for all your life.
For finish this post let me ask you something else.
You name "Sleeves"  the plastic holder were you screw the double-pointed needle?
because that was the part that contains only in the screw part litle dried blood.
Sorry but im not a medic like you so i can not understand how its posible that the blood just flows out of me and not inward when you use needles.
If any mechanism exist in this double-pointed needle that eliminated that risk?
Just for sure you undestand me because mi english its so bad, the dried blood was in the screw of the plastic holder or adapter.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

1. Yes, the plastic holder is the sleeve I was referring to.

2.  Blood only flows out in this situation.  In fact the negative pressure in the tube sucks it outward.

There is NO risk from the situation you describe

You have nothing to worry about.  EWH

[sinsopty]

Thanks Doc you are an angel.
your always support its important for people like me.
God Bless you.

[ParadiseMann]

Wow I had the same experience here in Canada, I went for an STD test yesterday and the practicioner used the Vacutainer and reused the holder, I asked her why and what was the risk.

She assured me that there was absolutely no risk because the holder does not come into contact with blood products, I am still really scared too and have decided to go and test for HIV at 4 weeks and 5 weeks and then 6 weeks after this incident.

6 weeks is apparently the new conclusive window period for the Rapid HIV test, this is what I was told by someone who works at Canadian Blood Services, almost everyone that's infected develops antibodies by 42 days after infection and previous chemotherapy patients may take until 56 days.