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What Symptoms Should I Look For After A Nail Prick?
I pricked my finger on a rusty nail. A tiny spec of blood the color of the rust appeared and i then wiped it off and no more blood appeared. I washed my hands shortly after. This was 90 minutes ago and aside from anxiety, i am seeing no symptoms of anything. I do not recall when i last had a tenus shot but i get a physical yearly. Is there any symptom that i should look for before going to an ER?
Wed, 30 Apr 2014
You have a 'clean' or 'minor' wound on your finger. After basic first-aid such as washing with water, which you have done, it is important to think of 'Tetanus'.
In a minor wound such as yours the chances of tetanus are minimal. However, since you do not know when your last tetanus shot was and I presume it was more than 5 years back, you must receive the tetanus vaccine.
If you injury was more serious (deep, penetrating wound with rusted iron) you would require both tetanus vaccine and immunoglobulin, to be taken at different sites.
In a minor wound such as yours the chances of tetanus are minimal. However, since you do not know when your last tetanus shot was and I presume it was more than 5 years back, you must receive the tetanus vaccine.
If you injury was more serious (deep, penetrating wound with rusted iron) you would require both tetanus vaccine and immunoglobulin, to be taken at different sites.
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