Needle stick

[Vetaspirant]

Has anyone had a needle stick during shadowing? I had one recently at a small animal clinic while removing the cap of a syringe for a heartworm test. The syringe had blood from a canine patient. Should I be worried? Thanks in advance for your responses.

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[Bismarck]

I'm guessing you mentioned this to the veterinarian you were working with? If you didn't, you need to make them aware of this as they are responsible for your safety/well-being while you are working in the clinic.

Also is "recent" within the past few days?

 

[Vetaspirant]

I'm guessing you mentioned this to the veterinarian you were working with? If you didn't, you need to make them aware of this as they are responsible for your safety/well-being while you are working in the clinic.

Also is "recent" within the past few days?

Yes, I mentioned this and the veterinarian asked me to express blood under running water and then wash with a disinfectant. I washed according to the vet's advice. The vet assured me that I would be fine. This happened last week.

 

[Fly Racing]

I would not worry. Human patients can carry HIV, dogs cannot. At worst you could get cellulitis requiring iv antibiotics. I been stuck a couple times with naughty horses but never had an issue (or washed it). I dont think there is anything life threatening you can vet from a nonrabid dog.

 

[Emiloo4]

I got stabbed with a needle filled with Euthasol once 😎. THAT was pretty awesome! 🙄

 

[DVMDream]

I have been stuck with needles a few times. With dog blood on it, with euth solution in it, with other meds in it, after a puppy moved while giving sq fluids needle started sliding out and I went to stop the needle from sliding a little too late and had an 18 gauge needle hanging from my thumb in front of the client. Never have had an issue after a needle stick. It happens, especially since our patients may not always be the most cooperative.

 

[psilovethomas]

I've been stuck many times. Just keep an eye on it. If you are really worried, you can always go to your doctor.

 

[bandierose]

I've been stuck 2-3 times. Once with cat blood... The area swelled for 24 hours and then was fine. I washed it and put neosporin on it. It will be A ok.

 

[wildcatj]

Yeah, definitely stabbed myself in the knuckle one time with euthanol after injecting a seagull. That stuff really burns...

 

[jmo1012]

i listened to a VIN rounds over the summer that talked about transfer of pathogens (like ehrlichia and those types of organisms) from animal to human via blood stick. they basically said that it can occur, but my take away was that it was extremely rare. should you have symptoms related to tickborne illnesses, it might be relevant, but i'm sure you will be fine 🙂 you'd have to have a heavily infected patient and immune system that didn't catch it

 

[VetDrKate]

I got stuck while bleeding pigs during my internship. The vet saw it happen, smiled and said its just part of the trade...he later got stuck in the knee when a pig lunged at him. Keep an eye on it and have it looked at if anything changes otherwise I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[T_Rose]

I've got stabbed by a needle twice when trying to put a cap on a syringe filled with dewormer. I couldn't figure out how it happened the first time, but the second time I figured out that the needle was going straight through the cap and into my finger! After that, I was REALLY carefully when recapping syringes. 😀

 

[Dsmoody23]

18 gauge with heparin. I thought I was going to need a tourniquet.

 

[Vetaspirant]

Looks like needle stick is a common thing in the vet field. Some of you have said you had needle stick from syringes filled with euthasol. That is scary!

 

[Bearby]

Euthasol, DHPP, RV, Microchip (that one hurt like a mofo and took off a big chunk of skin...12 gauge needle...enough said) - those were all slips by the vets

I have stabbed myself many a time while trying to draw up vaccines quickly, including one needle that went almost all the way through the joint in my thumb.

Even with euthasol, being accidentally stuck with it isn't going to kill you. It's an anesthetic, so even if somehow it hit a vein and was pushed a little before it was realized and removed...at the most you'd probably just get a little sleepy.

As far as disease transmission, it's very rare in situations like this and usually a good scrubbing and keeping it covered for a few days prevents infection.

 

[New Foundland]

Looks like needle stick is a common thing in the vet field. Some of you have said you had needle stick from syringes filled with euthasol. That is scary!

This month's CVJ contained an article on occupational hazards in vm

58% of vets reported a needlestick in the past 5y
74% of techs reported at least one needlestick in the past year

"one report of self-injection of prostaglandin resulted in spontaneous abortion in the female vet" 😱

It also references a 2008 CVJ article on needlesticks which suggests that it's easy to prevent sticks simply by avoiding recapping needles, or at least using a "one handed scooping technique" to recap if necessary

 

[pooter]

It happens. My worst was a butterfly catheter that went all the way through my thumb and lodged against the back of the nail. It can lead to some awkward questions the next time you donate blood (the Red Cross will still take your blood, though, so it can't be that bad).

 

[breenie]

"one report of self-injection of prostaglandin resulted in spontaneous abortion in the female vet" 😱

One vet I shadowed would ask me EVERY TIME if I was pregnant before he handed me the estrumate.

I was always tempted to say, "If I am, gimme that syringe"

(though I hear if you give people prostaglandins the cramping is insane)

 

[gracietiger]

Umm, am I the only one experiencing sympathetic pains in the fingers and joints reading this thread? Seriously, a needle rubbing up against the nail? I'm either going to go throw up now, or change careers...

 

[Trematode]

Not recapping a needle is recommended? Really?

My last stick happened when I was unscrewing the needle. Needle goes in one bin, syringes go in another at this particular clinic. I don't know really know what happened... the needle somehow went through the side of the cap and into my thumb. I was not expecting it at all. Owie.

I got sprayed in the face with some sort of anesthetic. I do not know what happened there either. Vet went to put it in the catheter and it came up and hit me in the face instead. 😕. The vets were quite concerned that it had gotten into my eye, whatever it was. I cannot remember now.

 

[jmo1012]

Umm, am I the only one experiencing sympathetic pains in the fingers and joints reading this thread? Seriously, a needle rubbing up against the nail? I'm either going to go throw up now, or change careers...

haha me too. i think i'm done reading this thread now!

my two most recent sticks were an 18G heparinized into the base of my pinkey-that was a freakin wound!! oww, and the other was a needle that popped out of the side of the draw port on a bag of fluids (through the really thick part, not sure what happened there!). i also one broke PCV glass under my nail, dont recommend that either 😉

 

[pooter]

Not recapping a needle is recommended? Really?

Yeah. In some research labs you can actually get in trouble if the lab safety inspectors go through your sharps container and find a capped needle. In fairness to the regulators, a lot (a majority?) of sticks happen while recapping, *but* the safety guidelines don't take into account the fact that there are times when a clinician absolutely has to recap a needle. I think we should be putting more time into teaching people how to do it safely rather than just saying "don't do it."

I tend to compromise by holding the needle at an angle, so that if I miss the cap the needle's not pointed at my fingers. I'd forgotten about the "scoop" technique, but I'll definitely try that!

 

[nordicat]

What's this scoop technique I'm hearing so much about?

I once had a test tube shatter in my hand, getting glass all up ins and under my thumbnail 👎 It was back in high school...someone else had to walk me to the nurse! I can handle non-human blood just fine. Go figure. 🙄

 

[kakurubird]

What's this scoop technique I'm hearing so much about?

I imagine it's just using the needle to pick up the cap from a surface (using a scoop-like motion), rather than trying to get the needle into a cap you're holding in your hand--if you miss the cap when scooping, you just hit the table, not yourself.

 

[breenie]

I imagine it's just using the needle to pick up the cap from a surface (using a scoop-like motion), rather than trying to get the needle into a cap you're holding in your hand--if you miss the cap when scooping, you just hit the table, not yourself.

Yep, then you pop the cap on by pushing against the edge of the table.

You have to do it this way in a lot of research settings (even my undergrad's dairy teaching herd).

It has its place. Don't want to be poking yourself with primate blood.

 

[nordicat]

It has its place. Don't want to be poking yourself with primate blood.

Definitely on my list of things to NEVER DO!!

 

[bayarea15]

15 gage needle, was trying to cannulate a graft on a human dialysis patient, couldn't get it, looked up to get help, and the guy moved his arm, needle went in my finger. Thank GOD he was not a hep b or hiv patient. Had to fill out a ton of paperwork.

I was taught to never recap needles...but at my veterinary job, they do it all the time, they also don't use cotton balls on top of the needle when pulling out, and they hold syringes with their teeth. It's freaking nuts for me to watch, considering I'm used to wayyyyy diff rules.

 

[Dsmoody23]

I was taught to never recap needles...but at my veterinary job, they do it all the time, they also don't use cotton balls on top of the needle when pulling out, and they hold syringes with their teeth. It's freaking nuts for me to watch, considering I'm used to wayyyyy diff rules.

In retrospect, that's scarily true.

Seems perfectly normal to have syringes waving around like fencing swords until you actually stop and think about it.

 

[Puffins]

I've stabbed myself twice while uncapping a clean syringe. When recapping, I do it VERY slowly and watch carefully. If I don't have time to do it, the whole syringe goes in the sharps container.

 

[jalyndani]

One of my bosses is 76 and I frequently get needle stabs from him. I've been stuck with DHPPC, Brucellosis vaccines, cattle dewormer, Blackleg vaccines...I've never had any complications or dire situations though.

One day I was trying to add something to a patient's bag of IV fluids and the needle went all the way through the injection port on the bag and into my thumb. I have no idea how I managed that.

On the topic of euthanasia solution, my other boss was in the process of injecting beuthanasia into a dog's iv catheter when the pressure exploded the needle off the syringe. The pink juice exploded in her face and mouth. Ugh.

 

[NStarz]

At the clinic I worked at, one of the vets and a tech were trying to euthanize an injured deer, and the euthanasia solution splashed in their EYES. That was fun. They ended up driving to the hospital--the tech was so stubborn, though, and wouldn't use the eye wash! That is stuff you don't want to get in your eyes!

 

[pooter]

My first time volunteering at a shelter, a vet and two techs started reminiscing about euthasol mishaps. They tell me it tastes very salty if you get it in your mouth. 😱

 

[Spinach Dip]

😱

This thread has me terrified...

But it reminds me of one more reason I'd rather go into vet med than human med -- I've never wanted to come down with HIV because some drunk in the ER moved when I didn't expect it.



Thanks for the stories! 👍

 

[breenie]

😱

This thread has me terrified...

But it reminds me of one more reason I'd rather go into vet med than human med -- I've never wanted to come down with HIV because some drunk in the ER moved when I didn't expect it.



Thanks for the stories! 👍

To be fair, HIV transmission through need STICKS (not needle sharing) is pretty rare.

 

[bunnity]

Also remember that you're not hearing from any of the people without horror stories.
I've only stuck myself once in years of working with shelter animals, and it didn't hurt much or get infected or anything else crazy.

 

[Dsmoody23]

To be fair, HIV transmission through need STICKS (not needle sharing) is pretty rare.

So feel free to:

 

[Jamr0ckin]

Had a needle go through the IV port and right underneath my thumbnail, about halfway down... ouch.

Also, I was holding a rowdy GSD for sedation and he flung his front leg right when the vet stuck him. The syringe went flying through the air and landed in my hand, between my thumb and pointer finger. That was more funny than painful.

And many,many more I don't specifically remember.

 

[GellaBella]

needle stick with canine bloood = werewolf.
watch out for the full moon
and the WW threads

 

[bayarea15]

My ex (human rn) got some blood in his eye, can't really recall the details but he did call screaming.

 

[ouijetaime]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I was once stabbed in the finger through a Dachshund. I was holding off while someone else drew blood, and they went in, out, and into me. I'm fine.

Unless you have a health problem that could be affected (i.e., Lupus - someone I know was poked and got some animal blood in their hand, and their hand swelled up immediately), just wash it and don't worry.