Need for HIV/HCV testing?

[medapp1]

I am currently on my surgery rotation and had a question about something that happened last week. I was scrubbed in on a breast tumor removal case and we were just wrapping up. The surgeon grabbed a bulb suction with saline to flush the cavity, he squeezed a good amount into the cavity, resuctioned it and sprayed it again, when he did this, all the bloody fluid splashed out of the cavity and just so happened to hit me square in the neck (onto my bare skin). It was a fairly good amount of fluid, I'd say around 50cc. They laughed about it in the OR (joking about 'quit spraying our med student') and I didn't think about it until later, but I had just shaved my neck that morning before the surgery. I had several tiny cuts from shaving (just hairline type cuts from an electric razor) that were scabbed over and a few areas of skin irritation from shaving.

I didn't really think much of it until later that night. The patient was a same-day patient and had already been discharged. She was in her mid-80s with no history of HIV/HCV documented (she hadn't been tested in the hospital system either). Should I have reported straight to employee health? Should I go back to employee health now even though its a week later at this point? If i sustained a needlestick, I would obviously follow the protocol, its just that the wording on mucous membrane exposure/broken skin is very hazy and I'm not sure what to do. None of the spots on my neck were actively bleeding or having serous drainage or anything. What would you guys do?

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[SouthernSurgeon]

This would be a low risk exposure in a low risk patient.

In other words, don't need to do anything.

But in the future, if ever concerned, always go to employee health immediately. If nothing else they will do a risk assessment to provide you with more information; furthermore, if you ever do not go to employee health and do end up converting (low odds but worth considering the worst case scenario)...then your employer has a loophole to not cover your medical expenses.

 

[medapp1]

Thanks for the reply.

Yea, I think the problem was that in the moment I didn't see it as a worry, but as several days passed, the thought of the 'worst case scenario' creeped in even though the rational side of me knows the very low risk of transmission in these types of exposures. The other thing I was wondering was, it seems as if I could probably come up with a handful of these low risk exposures throughout my clinical years. At any point, is it worth getting checked for HIV/HCV as both of them can have dormant early clinical courses? I guess I would have to go to my outpatient PCP to do this as the hospital would want a reason for paying for the testing..?

Appreciate your response.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Closing thread, SDN is not the place for medical advice. Your student clinic will likely test and counsel you for free.