Injecting - The importance of proper needle disposal

[TommyRowe]

Well here is my story and why Ive been inactive the past few weeks.

I work as a Paramedic for a government agency. Recently I was on a call with a new Paramedic. Fresh faced kid out of Paramedic school. He was doing some rounds with me when we went out on a call. The patient, and I have to be very very broad here because of confidentiality, was a male AIDS patient. He has very advanced AIDS. He died 3 days ago of pneumonia and AIDS related complications... So we were transporting him and the new Paramedic was the first to get to him. The patient had a needle sticking out of his arm. After getting him on the cart, the new guy pulled the needle out and as he was doing this, our patient went into cardiac arrest. He put the needle on the gurney to start CPR. After getting him into our rig, I got onto the gurney to continue CPR doing chest compressions while the new guy used a BVM to give the patient air. Not knowing the new guy left the needle on the bed, me knee landed right on it and the needle went directly into my knee. I didnt notice until one of the ER doctors pointed it out.

Long story short, this guy was a professional. Thousands of hours of training and hundreds on proper care of needles and risk of infections... He made a very simple mistake and as a consequence, I may now have AIDS. Im on leave until my test results come back inconclusive (health care workers have to take leave in these cases for obvious reasons). In on retrovirals and all that good stuff though.

The point I want to get across is be very careful out there. If this guy who was properly trained can make a big mistake like that, or a little mistake really, then its easy for the average person to make a mistake that can potentially ruin yours or someone elses lives. Dispose of your needles, use clean needles and just be safe in general. Dont let this sort of thing happen to you...

[pinksox]

Oh damn. Sorry bout that TR

SWIM has gotten a couple dirty sticks in their career. Last time, SWIM stuck themselves with a dirty lancet because the ambulance service SWIM was working for was too cheap to hang the sharp bucket properly on the wall and instead had it tucked behind a cushion on the bench. Unfortunately, the fliptop couldn't rise all the way because of the wall cushion and SWIM stuck their finger while trying to squeeze the lancet in.

Also unfortunate is that the damn nursing home didn't see the need to reveal to SWIM the patients +HIV/Hep C status during report either. SWIM wasn't aware until after they'd stuck themselves and the patient, themselves, told SWIM. Fortunately, for SWIM, the patient's counts were quite low...which lessened the already low chance of acquisition.

SWIM knows it sucks. SWIM knows the nights spent lying awake and staring at the ceiling wondering. Please know the chances of catching HIV from even a positive dirty stick are extremely low. HIV pretty much self-destructs when it hits the air. Hep is the little bastard medical providers need to really worry about...as just a drop is enough to infect one several times over and can stay infective several weeks in even a dried state.

SWIM knows this won't make SWITR feel much better. It didn't make SWIM feel much better either. SWIM's last dirty stick was in 2005. SWIM is still negative. SWIM is MUCH more careful with sharps, even other people's, nowadays and never takes their eyes off a needle--even in anothers hand--until it goes "plunk" in the red bucket. SWIY should try to develop that habit as well.

SWIM will be sending good vibes SWITR's way in the meantime.

[Hapworth]

SWIM recaps his insulin needle and syringe and disposes of it in whatever trashcan he can find. Probably not the best disposal technique, but SWIM does make sure that the needle is not exposed for others.

[pinksox]

SWIM recaps his insulin needle and syringe and disposes of it in whatever trashcan he can find. Probably not the best disposal technique, but SWIM does make sure that the needle is not exposed for others.

That's a great start.

SWIY should check with local pharmacies and/or their docs office. Many of these places will accept their patients used sharps for proper disposal(ie medical waste incineration). You can store these at home until a scheduled appt. and drop them off them for convenience. SWIM just talked to their PCP today about disposing of full sharps containers and they said they'd be happy to ensure they were disposed of properly if SWIM brought the secured used sharps into their office during a visit.

In the absence of access to proper sharps containers, one can use any hard plastic bottle to dispose of used needles. Large, hard plastic laundry soap bottles work well to this end. So do the 5 gallon pails that powered laundry soap comes in.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good info

[Esmerelda]

TommyRowe - I'm so sorry to hear about that. I sympathise a lot with what you're going through. A few years ago a similar thing happened to me in Mexico when I was a student in a hospital there (except it was my own mistake). Like you I went on anti-retroviral treatment, and I didn't contract HIV.

The average risk of transmission of HIV from a contaminated needle is 0.3%. Even though your patient had end-stage AIDS your risk is still going to be very low, especially with the antiretrovirals. Antiretroviral therapy within 24 to 36 hours of exposure has been associated with an 81% reduction in HIV infection*.

Just stick out the treatment. I know some people don't see it through because of the side effects but it's absolutely worth it, as I'm sure you know.

During my time of waiting I would quote the statistics at myself whenever I got worried. I'd list the things that were more likely to happen to me in that time than seroconverting.

Just remember - your chances are extremely good, so DON'T WASTE THOSE MONTHS WORRYING! I know it's easier said than done but there's every reason for you to be confident and live your life as normal.


* Sohn JW, Kim BG, Kim SH, Han C. Mental health of healthcare workers who experience needlestick and sharps injuries. J Occup Health 2006;48:474-479.
* CDC. Appendix C: basic and expanded HIV postexposure prophylaxis regimens. MMWR Recomm Rep 2001;50:47-52.

[BumpBump]

i trust they started you on e P.E.P course?

[BlondieUK]

So sorry man, although apparently the chances of catching HIV in that way are apparently very slim, Swim will be checking back on here as often as he can for confirmation that you're okay.

Swim always puts his used needles into the small disposal unit they give him at his local needle exchange.

[BumpBump]

at the very worst swim puts them in a empty beer can and stamps on it before going in the bin. P.E.P is an antivatial treatment http://www.pep.chapsonline.org.uk/

[geezaman]

Im really really sorry to hear that, I cant begin to imagine how your feeling and felt when it occurred. If I believed in a god i'd be praying for your health and well-being.

SWIM would feel bad for anyone who had been put at risk of contracting such an illness, but particularly so in this case where its happened to someone who works in your profession helping others on a daily basis.
Best,
Geezaman

[fnord]

Sorry tommy,hope everything turns out ok for you.

[Junkhead23]

Horrible. There is nothing worse. SWIM spent 2 years of his life thinking he was HIV positive (previous girlfriend told me she had it) Back trhen SWIM wasnt educated about HIV at all. He thought that if you slept with someone with HIV that was it. Game over. He spent the following 2 years getting colds constantly it seems, cold sores, everything you associate with being run down. He wound himself up about it so much that he tried to kill himself by slashiing his throat. Luckily enough he missed his artery and the people at the hospital asked what the problem was and when I told them they told me a litle about it and assisted me to the GUM clinic. The wait was excruciating. That experience damaged SWIM a lot. SWIM was negative it turned out.

SWIM digresses anyway. I really hope SWIY are alright. My thoughts re with SWIY they really are