Needlestick Hep C

I am a police officer and recently got stuck with a needle while patting down a subject in the booking room.  The needle was inside his coat pocket and punctured through the material...it was a small diabetic needle.  I suspect he used the needle within a few hours of the stick.  The stick pricked me pretty good, and left a TINY little gash in my skin that looked like a sliver...but it did NOT BLEED....even when I squeezed it to try and make it bleed....no blood or fluids were present from my wound...I washed the area heavily within 5 minutes of it happening.....the suspect said he was Hep C positive....What are my risks involved here?  I havent slept in days!!! :(

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Hello,

First, thank you for your continued public service. My hat is off to you!

Second, I have some relatively good news for you. It sounds like your  "stick" was more like a small laceration or cut versus a puncture. The nature of the injury is important because the needles on syringes are hollow and can retain blood and bodily fluids. Because your "stick" was not a puncture, theoretically, you are at slightly lower risk.

Third, your risk in situation like this depends on the following factors:
1. How much exposure did you have?; that is, what volume of blood? with what amount of Hepatitis C virus?
2. What length of time had passed since the needles' last use?
3. How much Hepatitis C virus was circulating in the suspect's bloodstream? Some people have very low "viral loads" and others do not.

You likely had very little exposure based on the details that you shared with me. In general, the longer the time between the last use and the needlestick, the lower the risk. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing what the suspect's status is with how much Hepatitis C virus is circulating in his or her bloodstream.

Recommendations:
1. You should consider baseline Hepatitis C and HIV testing to ensure that you have no signs of the viruses in your bloodstream.
2. For piece of mind, you might consider follow-up with the provider of employee or occupational health for your police department.

Lastly, I have a question for you.

What kinds of strategies are taught to police officers regarding searching suspects and avoiding events such as the one that you experienced?

Are the prevention measures that are taught useful in practice?

I hope that this is helpful to you.

~•~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.