HIV risk from nurse reusing needle

[Joe777]

Hi,
I was surfing the web when I came upon several articles about nurses who reused the needle used to draw blood. This is rare if it happens but there was an incident in Palo Alto involving a nurse who reused needles and there was a survey that said 1% of nurses had reused needles. I’m asking this because I recently had my blood drawn at a STD clinic so if a needle was reused, it has a high chance of being contaminated with STDs. Again, this is rare and nurses working in STD clinics are probably even more careful so we should be worried about regular modes of transmission. Still, I was wondering about HIV transmission in this situation. There are cases of health care workers being infected with HIV after accidentally being pricked by a needle so if a needle was inserted into a vein to draw blood, the risk would be higher if the nurse reused the needle right? Or are the syringes (especially in STD clinics) disposable ones? How long can HIV survive in syringes or other blood drawing devices? Thank you for your answers.  

[moose21]

Do you believe everything you read on the internet?  For what its worth, reusing needles, finger sticks, etc is illegal in the United States.  I would doubt that there have been any cases of HIV (or any other bloodborne illnesses) transmitted by healthcare location transmission in the last 25 years.  All syringes, finger sticks, etc are completely of the disposable variety (which is why all doctor's offices, std clinics, and planned parenthood centers have those orange biohazard boxes)

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

an std clinic re-using needles.... i don't believe it

[peekawho]

I am a nurse, and let me assure you that NO ONE reuses needles.  In fact, it's almost impossible b/c once you use one, most of the newer needles have an automatic needle guard that pops in to place automatically after one use, so the needle can't even be accidently reused.  

How ridiculous.  Find other things to worry about.  There are plenty.

[Teak]

You been reported for spamming the forum move on.

[nonbeliever]

no there is no problems , nurses do not re use needles, like one nurse says there is a safety guard that click on most needles now adays so they dont get stuck by yours.

[ttn12221984]

I had the same worry.  I recently had a blood draw in my med school (St George, Grenada) and had the same worry about the nurses reusing the needle since Grenada is not part of the U.S and people might not follow the same protocols here.