[Question #10711] Bloddy gloves , should I worry?

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20 months ago

Dear doctors,I am in my 6 month of pregnancy. Two weeks ago I had my glucose tolerance test, I had a visit at an ambulatory where they screen pregnant woman for diabetes. We were 5 pregnant woman, and the nurse took our glucose at fasting and than 60 and 120 min after glucose load. The nurse put to all of us an i.v. canal, from which she drow blood every time.I was the last in the row of blood drowing. When she attempted to do the last blood drow from my i.v. canal I noticed that she had some blood on her gloves. I assumed it could be from the previous patient, because I was not careful to see if she changed gloves before me and I did not notice that that blood was mine. It was like 1 cm of a bloody spot. With this glove on she took care of my i.v. canal, drow the blood from my vein and then flushed the canal with the saline, because the canal would have to remain in place until the end. Between mine blood drow and the previous one she had a telephone talk that lasted a couple of minutes, and also the preparing took a couple of minutes, so this event must have been at least 5 min after the other last patient.It was a nice and clean ambulatory, I live in a country where the prevalence of HIV is not particularly high and all the pregnant woman are screened for HIV at the beggining of pregnancy, the OGTT test is in 27 week of pregnancy. That day there was also another patient that was an old gentleman.My concern is, that the nurse touched the opening of my iv canal with the bloody glove and after that flushed the saline inside the vein, which could put me at risk for catching for example HIV.I am at risk?

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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
20 months ago
Welcome back to the forum. I scanned your several messages from a couple of years ago; I hope your previous concerns about HPV and about the risks of sexually acquired HIV no longer are active problems and you're doing well. Also congratulations on impending motherhood!

Certainly it is normal practice for nurses and other providers with direct patient contact to change gloves -- if gloves are used at all -- between patients. Treating patients with visible blood on her gloves was very unprofessional. You would be within your rights and proper procedures to at least discuss it with her, and perhaps with a supervisor in the clinic or practice where this happened.

That said, in the US (and perhaps world wide), in the past 40 years there hasn't been even one reported case of anyone known to catch HIV or other blood borne virus in the course of receiving medical care of any kind, including blood drawing, starting IVs, or other procedures that in theory could result in some level of blood exposure. And considering the frequency of HIV in the population as a whole, it is statistically very unlikely the blood on her glove was from an HIV infected person. This would seem to be a safe assumption locally, given your statement about low HIV prevalence in your country.

Accordingly, I very much doubt you are at risk. However, it would certainly be understandable for you to seek reassurance from the nurse or clinic, and conceivably to even have another HIV test in a few weeks. And perhaps testing for hepatitis B and C as well. Please understand I suggest possible testing only for reassurance, not because I believe there is a significant chance you were infected.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD
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20 months ago
Thank you for your answer.
My previous questions are no longer a problem, I was just phobic about hiv without real reason, tested negative, and hpv no longer a concern.

I would like to understand if what happened was a risk or not, because I am under a lot of stress and its not good in this state. Do you advice testing just for anxiety relieve or because of a real risk of infection?
This was 2 weeks ago, if I need to test when can i do it? I am really scared.
Thank you

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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
20 months ago
I cannot say it any more clearly than above. Re-read starting with "Accordingly, I very much doubt...." There is no reason to be scared! If maybe there is a language issue, consider an online translation program, like Google Translate.)---
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20 months ago
Well I do not think there is a language issue, but I do not understand if I am at risk or not?
I would just like to clarify:
Is there a scientific reason for testing because of a risk of infection or you recommend testing just from a psychological point of view?

Thank you and congratulations for your great work.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
20 months ago
How can I say it more clearly? The main reason for testing is for reassurance. Nobody can say there is zero chance you were infected, but I would estimate the possibility to be no higher than one chance in many million, maybe one in a billion. If somehow I were in your situation, I would not get tested.

Thanks for the thanks. I'm glad to have helped. That completes the two follow-up exchanges included with each question and so ends this thread. Best wishes and stay safe.
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