Blood contaminated Scissors

[unicorn78]

Dear Docs

In my research I work with blood donated by people working in my building. While cleaning a pair of sharp scissors I used to cut plastic tubing with blood inside i accidentally pricked myself leading to small puncture mark on the thumb with obvious amount of fresh blood. The tips of the scissors had been soaking in 80% Ethanol since 5 days ago.

The donor is a young healthy looking male around 28 years old.

I wonder if it is enough to take his reassurance of been healthy or do I need to consider filing an incident report and request him to be tested for blood borne viruses.

Thank you

Regards

Unicorn

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Thanks for the clarification.  No change in my assessment or recommendation.  Sorry to hear that the mishap occurred. EWH

[unicorn78]

Dear Dr Hook

Thank you for your response.

I placed the blood stained scissors along with small pieces of blood coated tubing into a beaker. To this 80% Laboratory standard Ethanol was poured over. The level of the alcohol completely immersed the tubing and the tips of the scissors. This was left for 5 days. Upon return liquid was still present in the beaker I presume left over water after the Ethanol evaporated. The puncture occurred while I was wearing gloves and cleaning the residual blood from the tip of the scissors.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome back to the Forum.  I'll try to help.  While I suspect that the person who the blood came from was telling the truth to the best of his knowledge, as a generalization, you should not accept a person's statement that they are healthy as fact, not because they are not telling the truth to the best of their knowledge but because infections may be present that people are unaware of.  At the very least you should know when this person was last tested for HIV and hepatitis viruses.  It is because of this that most policies suggest that all work-related puncture wounds with used materials exposed to another person’s blood should be reported.  I agree with this approach.  

Although your injury should be reported, it is virtually no risk for infection.  As I understand it, the scissors you cut yourself with had been soaking in alcohol for five days in the time between when they had been last used to cut tubing which contained blood and when you cut yourself.  If my understanding of this correct, this is very low risk exposure and should not concern you - a five day immersion in alcohol would kill blood borne pathogens if they were present.  

I hope this reply is helpful.  Your cut should be reported, as a matter of protocol, but I would not worry about the injury putting you at any meaningful risk for infection.  EWH