Blood on Gloves

[dante12345]

Hi Doc,

Please help me here - I am going crazy with fear.  A couple weeks ago I was opening a box and cut myself pretty deeply with a knife on my arm.  I had to go to the local walk-in clinic and get it stitched up. Right after the doctor finished with my stitches, he got called out of the room.  Then a different doctor comes in a few minutes later and cleans up my arm where the stitches are and puts the bandage on it.  Here's the thing - it looked like there was BLOOD on his gloves when he walked into the room!  I should have said something but I didn't and now I am terrified that I could have caught HIV from the gloves.  The gloves weren't dripping with blood or anything, but I could definitely see some color on the gloves which makes me think it was blood.  If there had been HIV+ blood on the gloves and he touched my wound with the gloves, could this put me at risk?  I have no idea how long the blood had been there from the other patient - it could have been seconds since there are only a couple rooms at the clinic and they are so close so it wouldn't have taken him long at all to walk from one to another.  Please help me understand my risk if it were HIV+ blood on the gloves.  I am worried sick.  Thanks Doc.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your questions have now deteriorated to the stage of "what if..."  This wil be the last answer.  Still no risk. EWH

[dante12345]

Thank you. One more thing and then I promise I'll stop! So even if you knew for a fact that it was HIV+ blood on the gloves from only 10 seconds before touching my wound, would you still consider this "no risk"? Thanks again!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Both = gloves, inanimate surfaces, clothing, countertops, etc.  Any surface outside of the body.
EWH

[dante12345]

Sorry can you explain what you mean by "both" in question #2?  THanks!!!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

1. As I said, not enough for transmission to occur

2.  Both, and other environmental surfaces as well.  EWH

[dante12345]

Thank you for your reassurance.  I have a couple quick follow up questions:

1) Wouldn't there still be gaps in my skin that the blood could go into (i.e. the space between the individual stitches)?

2) What do you mean by "HIV does not survive on the surface of such materials more than a few seconds"?  Are you referring to the gloves as the material?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Please don't worry about this event.  For starters, I sincerely doubt that this was blood on the gloves but instead probably a cleaning material, if anything. Second, if it was blood, it was unlikely to be from someone who had HIV. Third, and most importantly, even if it was blood from a person with HIV, HIV is not transmitted with this sort of surface contact.   Your wound had already been stitched close and HIV does not survive on the surface of such materials more than a few seconds.  There are no reports of HIV being transmitted through an exposure of the sort you describe.  

This was a no risk event.  Please do not worry. There is no risk involved and no need for testing.   EWH