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Got Blood On Hand While Inserting Tampon Applicator. Worried For HIV Transmission?
Question: I am concerned about HIV transmission via blood on my hand while inserting a tampon applicator. I am a nurse and was rushing into the bathroom and noticed a spo
Hi, welcome and thanks for writing in.
As you are a medical personal , you are aware of few things still I want to know few things.
1. Have you any abrasion on skin when you encounter contact with blood.?
2. Is patient HIV positive?
3 . Have you washed your hands as per indications?
Please let me know the details. We will discuss all in follow up .
Regards.
As you are a medical personal , you are aware of few things still I want to know few things.
1. Have you any abrasion on skin when you encounter contact with blood.?
2. Is patient HIV positive?
3 . Have you washed your hands as per indications?
Please let me know the details. We will discuss all in follow up .
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
The contact would have been from my fingers to my vagina while inserting the tampon.
Hi, welcome back.
If your hands were clean there is no risk for transmission for virus. For such way of transmission there must be fresh blood contamination of tampons. Otherwise no need to worry at all.
Even though hand is contaminated with blood there is very minimal less than 0.001% chance of infection, which is practically considered as negligible.
So you need not to worry about that.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have further concern, please let me know.
Regards.
If your hands were clean there is no risk for transmission for virus. For such way of transmission there must be fresh blood contamination of tampons. Otherwise no need to worry at all.
Even though hand is contaminated with blood there is very minimal less than 0.001% chance of infection, which is practically considered as negligible.
So you need not to worry about that.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have further concern, please let me know.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I am a nurse and was rushing to the bathroom last week during one of my shifts to put in a tampon. Usually I am very careful and always wash my hands before, but I had patients in need and was rushed. I saw there was a small spot of wet blood on the toilet upon entering so I grabbed a paper towel wiped it up and preceded to put in a tampon before completely examining my hands.
I have since been in fear I exposed myself to positive blood.
I know blood can not survive long outside of the body, and although not much, this was bright, fresh blood that if in contact with my hand, would still have been wet. Upon my anxiety filled week, I also read that being on the Depo progesterone birth control injection makes your vagina linings so thin it almost increases risk for fluids to reach the blood stream 3x's more likely. Which caused even more anxiety about the possibility of the blood from my finger or tampon applicator actually coming into contact with my vagina.
It wasn't until about an hour after I inserted the tampon that anxiety occurred and I went back into the bathroom to remove it.
Ultimately, I know the chances of transmitting HIV through bodily fluids on an inanimate object is slim, but in a hospital setting, who knows where the blood could have come from, or from who. (Granite, it is a pediatric hospital...)
Any reassurance or guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I have since been in fear I exposed myself to positive blood.
I know blood can not survive long outside of the body, and although not much, this was bright, fresh blood that if in contact with my hand, would still have been wet. Upon my anxiety filled week, I also read that being on the Depo progesterone birth control injection makes your vagina linings so thin it almost increases risk for fluids to reach the blood stream 3x's more likely. Which caused even more anxiety about the possibility of the blood from my finger or tampon applicator actually coming into contact with my vagina.
It wasn't until about an hour after I inserted the tampon that anxiety occurred and I went back into the bathroom to remove it.
Ultimately, I know the chances of transmitting HIV through bodily fluids on an inanimate object is slim, but in a hospital setting, who knows where the blood could have come from, or from who. (Granite, it is a pediatric hospital...)
Any reassurance or guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hi, welcome back.
If you are working in paediatric hospital then you can nearly forget this incidence. Because every mother and her baby is already tested for seropositivity. If someone is positive then we definitely come to know about that.
Also you wiped the blood which still further decreases the contamination. Though progesterone make vaginal flora susceptible, it needs sufficient dose to get infected.
Considering all this issue i think you are not infected. Still I will suggest you must consult counsellorto relieve your anxiety . You can take short course of anti retro viral protection after consultation with physician. Don't get panic every medical personal including me experienced such contamination or needle prick situation.
Be relax and consult the counsellor.
Regards.
If you are working in paediatric hospital then you can nearly forget this incidence. Because every mother and her baby is already tested for seropositivity. If someone is positive then we definitely come to know about that.
Also you wiped the blood which still further decreases the contamination. Though progesterone make vaginal flora susceptible, it needs sufficient dose to get infected.
Considering all this issue i think you are not infected. Still I will suggest you must consult counsellorto relieve your anxiety . You can take short course of anti retro viral protection after consultation with physician. Don't get panic every medical personal including me experienced such contamination or needle prick situation.
Be relax and consult the counsellor.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
It has been longer than 72 hours and PEP was not adviced in this case. Do you agree? Thanks in advance.
welcome back.
Ideally PEP is given in 2 hours of exposure. It is not too much useful after 72 hours. In that case we have to evaluate the source patients , if we know.
It there is risk of exposure to source patient within last 6 weeks or high chance of positivity then patients blood investigation are necessary. If source is not known then it is mandatory to start PEP whatever time has elapsed. Then only your blood investigation should done.
Hope this will work for you.
Regards.
Ideally PEP is given in 2 hours of exposure. It is not too much useful after 72 hours. In that case we have to evaluate the source patients , if we know.
It there is risk of exposure to source patient within last 6 weeks or high chance of positivity then patients blood investigation are necessary. If source is not known then it is mandatory to start PEP whatever time has elapsed. Then only your blood investigation should done.
Hope this will work for you.
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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