[Question #6306] Contaminated Cotton Pad

69 months ago

Awfully sorry to have to come back especially knowing I’ve already made so many questions but unfortunately I have a new concern because I can’t catch a break apparently. I had my blood drawn for the test and when the phlebotomist was pressing the cotton pad and attempting to tape it up the tape got loose and the cotton pad went swinging and touched the seat. The phlebotomist used the SAME cotton pad to wipe off the blood from my blood draw wound and then Bandit up again. Is this a risk if the cotton pad touched the seat and then my new wound? Considering worst case scenario that there had been left over blood on the seat from somebody who were infected? I want to emphasize that it was the same ONE cotton pad used throughout this whole ordeal. Perhaps she brought in another used one too but she never disposed of the one that touched the seat and used it still as a bandage. This cotton pad would have been used first for pressure to my wound then swung around when the tape didn’t hold, touched the seat and arm rest where I was having my blood drawn (didn’t check if there was blood on seat or arm rest so I’m not sure) then used to wipe my blood again and finally was taped to my wound.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

69 months ago

You have been warned more than once about anxiety driven questions on the same topic -- in your case, about events known by all to carry no risk of HIV, as explained to you in several other threads. This is similar: no risk, of course. There will be no discussion.

This will have to be your last question on such topics. Perhaps the most important advice we can give is that you seek professional counseling to figure out why you have such fears and are unable to shake them despite repeated, reasoned, science-basd advice. I suggest it from compassion, not criticism. But this forum cannot help you any further. Here is a repeat of the standard warning, as you have seen before:

The forum does not permit repeated questions on the same topic or exposure. This being your third, future new questions along these lines will be deleted without reply and without refund of the posting fee. This policy is based on compassion, not criticism, and is designed to reduce temptations to keep paying for questions with obvious answers. In addition, experience shows that continued answers tend to prolong users' anxieties rather than reducing them. Finally, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes. Thank you for your understanding.

Best wishes to you.

HHH, MD

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