eyesplash...should i be concerned?

[sgpath]

---

Members do not see this ad.

this is gonna be both funny and ridiculous, but i was grossing a small, firm ovary when it suddenly squirted serous (seemingly bloodless) fluid into both of my eyes. i didnt appreciate the dangerous of surgical pathology until i recently, but seems like more people than not cut themselves, etc at some point. i've never cut myself, but i did experience this eyesplash yesterday. should i be worried about anything? pt is hiv,hep c, hep b negative. it was a specimen submitted for frozen section, so it was not yet fixed.

 

[DrBloodmoney]

this is gonna be both funny and ridiculous, but i was grossing a small, firm ovary when it suddenly squirted serous (seemingly bloodless) fluid into both of my eyes. i didnt appreciate the dangerous of surgical pathology until i recently, but seems like more people than not cut themselves, etc at some point. i've never cut myself, but i did experience this eyesplash yesterday. should i be worried about anything? pt is hiv,hep c, hep b negative. it was a specimen submitted for frozen section, so it was not yet fixed.

Wait until you get formalin in your eye... I'm a poster-child for eye safety at the grossing bench now. You'll never see me without a pair of goggles there.

 

[sgpath]

yeah, seriously. im not even going to gross in the most innocuous, fat-laden lymph node w/o eye protection.

 

[yaah]

I have squirted ovary cyst in my eye, as well as formalin. I also got ischemic hemorrhagic small intestine all over me. Worst one though was a liver that a surgeon sent out for a gross inspection of margin (was a partial hepatectomy for a 10cm mass). I did not know the mass was cystic (it felt hard and solid, pt had a colon CA history, figured it had to be solid), cut into it hard. It exploded like a geyser, four feet in the air, all over the grossing station and my arms. Was wearing glasses or goggles and it got on them too. Didn't get into my eye or any other orifice but it was a little messy and annoying.

Formalin in the eye is painful. The second time I got formalin in my eye it somehow snuck around my goggles. I still don't know how.

But we're not here to answer medical advice - if you're at all worried, contact employee health at your hospital - they have plenty of procedures for this, it happens all the time for medical/surgical people.

 

[Gyric]

Yeah I agree, some of those cysts ... it is like a bomb went off after you cut into them. If there is ever a question of getting squirted, in addition to eye protection, I cover the mass with a towel while making the first cut, seems to help keep it off me at least.

 

[amygdala_path]

While subculturing in the lab, I somehow got conjunctivitis from an amp resistant E. coli strain. Ever since then, I wear eye protection. Am probably the only one who wears googles it seems, but I never fail after that one experience. Especially when I am on frozens.
Maybe you can have your eye looked at by someone- I mean by a physician.

 

[docbiohazard]

I got liquid polyacrylamide gel mix into my eye one time while pouring a stack of huge DNA sequencing gels, which resulted in an overnight stay in the ER with a morgan irrigation lense. Contemplating the neurotoxic acrylamide making me blind all night drove the point home to me - your eyes are your livelihood... always wear eye protection.

Ditto what Yaah said about the doctor.

DBH

 

[sohsie]

I had an eye splash once. water hit a blood contaminated board, patient had some risk factors for HIV, but couldnt be tested (complicated story). I decided that a month of hell was worth the security of never having to say "what if". I tolerated the drugs pretty well, felt constantly queasy, had no appetite, couldn't enjoy food, but made it through the month.