Question About Drawing Blood

[QuestionAboutDrawingBlood]

Hello!  Thank you in advance for your help.  I have a question about the chances of contracting HIV from having my blood drawn.  I know it is extremely unlikely to contract HIV in this manner in the present day in the United States.  However, I had a very strange and unpleasant experience which is making me slightly (perhaps irrationally) nervous.  I had my blood drawn at my doctor's office for a test I was told he had ordered, but I was confused because I was supposed to be getting a vaccine and my doctor and I hadn't talked about the testing.  Anyways, I didn't see the phlebotomist unwrap a new needle, and she took the blood from the back of my hand (it was much more painful than ever before).  The entire incident was just a little strange.  I know it is common practice to dispose of needles after one use.  But I'm nervous since I didn't see her unwrap a new needle, and because the woman who had her blood drawn before me was asking several questions about her own testing and HIV.  
1.) Is there any way that transmission of blood borne pathogens can occur in hospital settings (even though they would be exceedingly unlikely)?
2.) Specifically, I've heard that single use needles have a safety guard on them that prevents reuse.  Is this true?  Would it actually be impossible to reuse a needle even if the person drawing my blood was negligent?  

I realize that this is not really a high risk situation at all.  I think the confusion surrounding the blood draw and the fact that I didn't see a needle being unwrapped are both fueling my concerns.  I am curious as to whether single use needles make HIV transmission impossible via a type of safety guard, which would completely extinguish my fears.  Thanks again for your time and for your response!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  You do not mention where you were when your blood was drawn.  In some developing countries there has been debate about whether or not a proportion of HIV infections are spread through re-use of needles by health care providers who are often referred to as "injectionists".  In developed nations this is a non-issue and not a reason for concern.  In developed nations it is not uncommon for phlebotomists (blood drawers) to be so adept at their jobs that their set up and opening of single use needles and blood drawing material goes un-noticed.  In developed nations blood drawing practices are strictly regulated and overseen in such a way that it would be most unusual for any persons working on a health care team to be able to re-use needles, either by design or inadvertently.

In addition to the issue of practice standards, as you not, at the present time the vast majority of needles used for blood drawing are also designed in such a way that they can only be used once.

Finally, from a theoretical perspective, it is important to point out that HIV is not transmitted by WITHDRAWAL of blood or blood products but by INJECTION, this again, there is no reason to worry about getting HIV from a blood draw.

I hope these comments are reassuring to you.  EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Glad to help. Take care.   EWH

[QuestionAboutDrawingBlood]

That is reassuring.  Sorry I wasn't clear about where I am.  I am located in California and the facility I go to is very reputable.  My primary care physician is exceptional, and everything there appears up-to-date, which probably means their needles are designed for single use. The point you made about blood being drawn versus injected makes sense as well.  From your information above, it sounds like I can almost safely assume that it would be virtually impossible for me to contract anything from having my blood drawn.  Thank you!