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needle stick

Hello,
I am working as a new nurse in a hospital, yesterday i had a needle stick accidentally in my finger after performing an IM injection for a patient, i think the needle stick was superficial bcoz i didn't even bleed from my finger, but really am so afraid now bcoz i  searched the net and found that HBV is transmitted easily through needle sticks
by the way before 2 months i started  HBV  vaccination schedule, i took the first dose before 2 months and the 2nd dose before 1 month, and after 4 months i will be taking the third dose

please tell me what is the risk for me in this case and what shall I do?? I didn't bleed at all at that time, is this enough to avoid the virus from entering?? and the first 2 doses of the vaccine will they protect me??
am really frightened...  how can i make sure that nothing bad had happened?
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Avatar universal
Needle sticks, as important as bio-safety is, have become monsters in our thoughts.  Glove up all you want,....those sharp needle tips don't care!  Double glove even....and oops, there goes a needle straight through both of them.

In a desire to be safety conscious, which is good, we've become paranoid.  Better we concentrate on patients with risk profiles or known risk behaviors...than every soul that crosses our threshold....as needles aren't going to be stopped by a "glove".  At the same time, our steady hands and careful ways should be tuned up for each day...and each patient.  

The person taking blood could rarely pass to the patient a fluid-transmitted viral pathogen.  They'd have to be bleeding on the patient or needle, etc...
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Avatar universal
Hello,

In the hospital setting, the usual procedure is for you to report the injury to your supervisor and to the person's responsible for your employee/occupational health. As part of the reporting and follow-up, there is usually an attempt to identify information about the source patient (Hepatitis B and C, as well as HIV).

The CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp.html) has excellent information regarding how blood borne pathogen exposures in the health care setting should be managed. The specific link related to Hepatitis B is: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/PEP.htm#section1.


With any blood borne pathogen exposure, the risk of transmission depends on but is not limited to the following factors: amount of blood/bodily fluid exchanged, size of the needle, depth of penetration of the needle, risk status of the source patient.

From the CDC website: "The risk of HBV infection is primarily related to the degree of contact with blood in the work place and also to the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status of the source person. In studies of HCP who sustained injuries from needles contaminated with blood containing HBV, the risk of developing clinical hepatitis if the blood was both hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)- and HBeAg-positive was 22%--31%; the risk of developing serologic evidence of HBV infection was 37%--62%. By comparison, the risk of developing clinical hepatitis from a needle contaminated with HBsAg-positive, HBeAg-negative blood was 1%--6%, and the risk of developing serologic evidence of HBV infection, 23%--37%. "

How superficial was your exposure? What size needle were you using?

With regard to the status of your immunity, it is estimated that after 3 doses, over 90% of individuals will have immunity to the Hepatitis B virus. After 2 doses, it is less but difficult to quantity how much less.

Overall, superficial exposures like the one that you describe in your posting are low risk for transmission of blood borne pathogens.

Lastly, I encourage you to follow-up with your employee/occupational health provider if you have not done so already.

~•~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical or legal 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.
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