needlestick

[Cookie995]

Hello,
I work in the operating room and during a surgery i accidentally stuck myself with a used needle. it barely broke the skin but I'm obviously still concerned. i immediately cleaned the area with chlorohexidine and alcohol wipes. the patient was 71 years old and didnt have HIV or hep-c listed in his history and he wasn't taking any antiviral medications. I contacted our needlestick hotline and am waiting to hear back from them but i am still panicking. I assume his blood will officially be tested for the pathogens but is there reason to be really concerned right now? surely if he had these diseases he would know about them at age 71 and would be taking antivirals correct? Thanks

[AWorriedMom]

I was of the exact same belief as you about whether an older person would already know they were infected.That has proven to be not so. That is one of the reasons that the CDC is recommending testing for baby boomers as they are at high risk and it is estimated that 800,000 are unaware of their antibody  positive status. Don't forget HCV is largely a disease that is asymptomatic in the majority of patients. Or, it has symptoms that people tend to think are due to increasing age, like fatigue and loss of stamina.

[Livelife777]

Am adding only a thought to your question.  At 71 years old if he had Hep C by now it's likely that he would be symptomatic and aware of a positive viral status.  This would be based on the reasoning that IF he was positive it perhaps occurred decades ago before our blood supply was tested and therefore have symptoms of the disease.
I would lose zero sleep worrying about this scenario as it's highly unlikely you may have been infected.  If you do have concern get tested.  As WorriedMom has said, we now have a cure.
Take care
......Kim

[AWorriedMom]

Actually for someone who has never treated and has minimal fibrosis, the cure rate is close to 100%. You can google Harvoni and Viekira Pak, two of the newest direct acting antivirals. These stats are for patients with genotype 1, the most common genotype in North America (72% of patients).

[Cookie995]

Wow, really? A 90% cure rate in 12 weeks? How have I not heard of this? I have always been under the assumption it was incurable.
Also, the 2-3% chance of seroconverting after percutaneous stick is reassuring, assuming the worst that the pt is positive and doesn't know it.

[AWorriedMom]

Ok, breathe. Anti-virals are only given for 12 weeks now. And he would not necessarily know his status. The good news for you is that even if your patient is infected, you only have a 2-3% chance of acquiring hep C by a needlestick. The other good news is that if the worst happens, the new drugs available have over a 90% chance of cure in 12 short weeks with minimal side effects. The days of interferon treatment are over. You will be fine as far as hep C goes.