I'm from Hong Kong. I have a 4 year old son who had a blood draw today at a local reputable lab, the process went smoothly. However, afterwards I noticed that the blood tube holder was reusable and the nurse told me the holder was indeed used on multiple patients, but she said there was no risk at all and I shouldn't be worried. The needle and plastic blood collecting tubes were new and disposable. I called my family physician but she was not worried. 

However I am very concerned after googling online. I found out that OSHA has banned the reusable tube holders in the US due to its associated risks. So does this mean that there is some risk that my son might get some blood borne disease from this reusable tube holder ? (For example that some old blood from the previous patient on the holder flowed back to my son's blood vein? ) Were tube holders ever re-usable in the US before the ban, and if so, was there any case of infection due to the multiple use of tube holders? Basically is there any risk in this case both theoretically and practically? 

I would be very grateful if you could give me your professional opinions. I am a super worried and anxious mother right now. I regretted very much that I did not spot this before the blood draw and asked for a new holder. 

Thank you very much,

Susan 

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.

So I see no need for you to be concerned or to reget not spotting the technique ahead of time. You needn't worry, and you should have have your child tested for HIV or other infections on account of this event.

I hope this has helped ease your fears. Best wishes--    HHH, MD

Thank you so much for answering my questions, I feel a lot relieved now. 

It was probably just a typo, but just to clarify you mean that I should NOT have my son tested for any blood borne diseases on account of this event, right? 

Also, was there ever a time that such reusable holders were actually used in the US? 

Thanks a lot for your time!

Susan 

Reusable holders were used almost exclusively in the US from the time the Vaccutainer company first introduced them (in the early 1970s, as a guess) until several years ago. To my knowledge, they were never known to be responsible for transmission of any blood borne infection.

Best wishes and take care--

HHH, MD

There is a reason that it is OSHA (the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration) is behind the guidelines that did away with multiple use blood draw devices. It was to reduce health workers' exposure to patients' blood. It had nothing to do with safety for patients.

Thank you so much for taking your time to answer my questions and explain in detail. I really appreciate your professional advice. I feel totally relieved now. 

Best Wishes,

Susan 

I have one more question if you don't mind, I am not sure whether I need to open a new thread for this, please let me know if i should. 

My family physician ordered a routine blood test for my son recently, which was the one we have discussed about. Everything came back normal, but apparently the doctor checked for my son's hepatitis B antigen and antibody as well. Since Hepatitis B is very common in Asia, the doctor wants to make sure my son has developed an antibody after his 3 doses of vaccine during the first year. Apparently, his blood test shows negative Hep B surface Ag, Negative Hep B Core Ab, and Negative Hep B Surface Antibody as well. I am confused. Is it common for kids not to develop immunity after 3 doses of vaccination? His doctor suggested to have 3 more doses of vaccinations within the next 4 months? What is the chance that he would develop immunity by then? Also, my father has chronic hepatitis B. In this case, is there anything we should be especially careful of so that my son won't get it from my father?

Thank you very much, Dr. Handsfield! 

Best,

Susan 

But no matter what, your child will not catch hep B fromn his father, even if he is infected. Young children can acquire it from their mothers in the uterus or during delivery, but they don't catch it from their fathers unless there is sexual abuse. Your son probably will not be at risk for hepatitis B at all until he becomes sexually active many years in the future. So there's no hurry in assuring he has been properly immunized.

This will have to end this thread. If you have further questions about hepatitis B immunization, please do not ask on this forum. It's not a usual topic for an STI/HIV forum, and none of the moderators are genuine experts in this area. 

Best wishes to you and your growing family!