Risk of transmission during blood draw

[srk20]

At 1pm this afternoon I got blood drawn at a labcorp location. The untrained nurse tried feeling for my vein on my right arm for a while and had me pump so many times that when she stuck in the needle my blood spewed all over my arm and her gloves. She then wrapped it and tried the other arm and was able to withdraw the blood. When she went back to look at my right arm to see if it was okay she wiped it down with an alcohol swab so quickly that the swab fell out of her hands onto the arm rest. She quickly picked it right back up and wiped my open wound with that same swab. Am I at risk for transmission if there had been dried hcv contaminated blood on the arm rest when it fell? I asked if I was at risk after she did it and ofcourse she kept saying no not at all and told me that the arm rests are washed every day, which means nothing to me since I had gone in at 1pm and they are open since 8. I'm extremely worried about the chance of a risk here so please tell me what you think. Thanks

[Idyllic]

That's the thing: Even with the PCR the cycle would continue.

From the Anxiety Files: How Do Obsessive Compulsive People Think?


Let's say that you are obsessive and you have the recurring thought, "Maybe I have cancer".

But you don't.

You've seen the doctor, she tells you that you are fine, you go home and begin thinking again, "Maybe she's wrong. Maybe I have cancer".

Then you think, "The fact that I'm thinking that must mean that there is something to worry about. I need to know for sure. I need to do something." So you Google endlessly every possible cancer and expect to see your pretty face appear on the screen.

So what do you do when you have these unwanted intrusive thoughts? Do you shout at yourself, STOP? Do you try to get reassurance from someone, "Does this look like cancer to you?" Perhaps you pray for peace, or you have a drink, or you binge eat. Or maybe you ruminate, thinking over and over, "Why am I having these damn thoughts? Am I going crazy?"

How to Understand Your OCD:

1. Triggers: These are the events or stimuli that set you off. It could be touching something (contamination), leaving the house (something is unlocked, the gas is on), driving at night (I ran over something), thinking of sex (God will punish me, I will lose control).

5. Demand for certainty: You think you should know for sure whether you will act out, lose control, or are contaminated. Nothing short of perfection and certainty will suffice.

11. Avoidance of triggers. You remind yourself, I wouldn't have any of these thoughts if I simply avoided the triggers. So you avoid touching things, avoid public restrooms, avoid shaking hands, avoid movies with Satan, avoid people that make you have feelings that are bad and disgusting feelings. [Avoid repeated blood draws] Avoid, avoid and avoid. You are running away from the world.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anxiety-files/200906/how-do-obsessive-compulsive-people-think

[Dawn703]

You'll never go with anything. You've been told there was no risk, but if you're worried then spend the money and get tested in a few weeks. Heck if you want to spend lots of money just have a PCR done, then you will know what to go with and won't need to ask us again.

[nonsensical]

"so I'm not too sure what to go with here ."

If the overwhelming anxiety about contracting HCV persists, go to your doctor in about 3 weeks, have nice long chat with him/her, explain the entire situation and ask for an opinion and or advice.  If he says there was no risk and you are still not comfortable with that ask for an RNA PCR.  Hopefully you have insurance to cover all the expense, if not, you're probably looking at around $600.   After all, they're the experts and who can put a price on peace of mind, right?

[Diana66]

Do not go with anything. You have asked for opinions and this is exactly what you got. Now, if they contradict each other is irrelevant. Do what you want with those opinions, mine or anybody elses. But frankly, if you want absolutes you are not in the right place. It is better idea if you use your spare time in a more productive way and actually go and talk to a specialist or specialists, better said: health and safety one, liver one and mental one as it seems that you could benefit from learning how to deal with fear, anxiety and hypochondria

As rivil mentioned, we are mere mortals with only PERSONAL opinions, here to support and not pester

[hrsepwrguy]

Hepatitis C FAQs for Health Professionals

Transmission and Symptoms
How is HCV transmitted?
HCV is transmitted primarily through large or repeated percutaneous (i.e., passage through the skin) exposures to infectious blood, such as

•Injection drug use (currently the most common means of HCV transmission in the United States)

•Receipt of donated blood, blood products, and organs (once a common means of transmission but now rare in the United States since blood screening became available in 1992)

•Needlestick injuries in health care settings

•Birth to an HCV-infected mother

HCV can also be spread infrequently through

•Sex with an HCV-infected person (an inefficient means of transmission)

•Sharing personal items contaminated with infectious blood, such as razors or toothbrushes (also inefficient vectors of transmission)

•Other health care procedures that involve invasive procedures, such as injections (usually recognized in the context of outbreaks)

Can HCV be spread during medical or dental procedures?

As long as Standard Precautions and other infection control practices are used consistently, medical and dental procedures performed in the United States generally do not pose a risk for the spread of HCV. However, HCV has been spread in health care settings when injection equipment, such as syringes, was shared between patients or when injectable medications or intravenous solutions were mishandled and became contaminated with blood. Health care personnel should understand and adhere to Standard Precautions, which includes safe injection practices and other guidance aimed at reducing bloodborne pathogen risks for patients and health care personnel. If health care-associated HCV infection is suspected, this should be reported to state and local public health authorities.

How soon after exposure to HCV can anti-HCV be detected?

HCV infection can be detected by anti-HCV screening tests (enzyme immunoassay) 4–10 weeks after infection. Anti-HCV can be detected in >97% of persons by 6 months after exposure.

How soon after exposure to HCV can HCV RNA be detected by PCR?
HCV RNA appears in blood and can be detected as early as 2–3 weeks after infection

http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/HCVfaq.htm#c5.

[srk20]

Well even in the responses here there are conflicting thoughts; Diana said there is a risk whereas hrsepwrguy said that there is no risk at all- so I'm not too sure what to go with here

[rivll]

What Diana told you was correct and kindly put and I think that is as about as much kindness you are going to get if you persist in repetitive and pointless questions from a population who are mostly experiencing some serious health issues. They are here to learn, support and teach ppl who are genuinely needing help.
Your persistent scenarios disrespects the people who have offered help that you can never seem to get enough of.
Please...give it a rest.

[Diana66]

ok, let's try something different. Yes, there is a risk and no, nobody quantified that risk in situations similar with yours. In other words there are no studies or follow ups on people who had their blood spelt by un untrained nurse who dropped the wipe on a chair and then was stupid enough to use a contaminated wipe to finish the work

You can keep asking anyone in the world and there will be no answer but only opinions.

Take the advice which was just given to you: test in a few weeks and then in a few months and again and again. There is NOBODY who will guarantee it

[srk20]

If you're knowledgeable on the subject and are telling me what you believe then I will believe you. This is a community where people come for support, please don't judge me before you even give me a chance. I don't think my question was silly because I was in an environment that draws blood all day every day and there is a higher risk of contracting blood born pathogens. That nurse definitely did not follow protocol when she used a swab on me that bad been contaminated. I'm not worried about other infections as alcohol kills most of them, but hep c is transmissible even if its dry and I've read also if the blood is invisible to the naked eye. I'm just trying to be precautions here because the puncture would to my vein was right there and bleeding as she rubbed the soiled alcohol pad on it, it wasnt some haphazard moment- I'm sure whatever got onto that pad went into my wound, and I'm just trying to figure out if it could be hep c

[orphanedhawk]

"ared that what if someone's blood was on the arm rest when the nurse decided to use the dirty alcohol swab which fell on the arm rest directly on me afterwards. If you have knowledge around this please help educate me "

Please, this is too silly.
Read my above post.

Maybe you need to try again because if you got help, it isn't working.

Get help or like hrspwr said, get tested.

[hrsepwrguy]

"labcop" LOL, no pun intended, labcorp is what I meant

[hrsepwrguy]

I would tell you that there is NO risk at all, and I really believe that, but you won't believe it and bombard us with questions as to why, what if ect ect, so lets just bypass all that and get to the part where I say if your worried wait the proper amount of time and get tested, also if you feel the lab tech was not following universal precations to report them to labcop.

Have a great day

[srk20]

Hi there
I understand that it may look like I am irrationally worried about this but I have gotten help for my issues and have not been here in months. The original anxiety was sparked from false testing positive on an anti body screening but since then I have learned a lot.

With this experience I am actually worried because I was in a blood lab where blood gets drawn every day and scared that what if someone's blood was on the arm rest when the nurse decided to use the dirty alcohol swab which fell on the arm rest directly on me afterwards. If you have knowledge around this please help educate me

[orphanedhawk]

I look at your profile.

You have been posting these kinds of posts with the title, "risk of transmission" for over a year now.

I think you know your problem has nothing to do with hep C.

Please see a mental therapist to get help for your problem.