Needle Stick Injuries

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Causes

Signs/Symptoms

Care

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

• If you stick yourself with a needle used on a patient, report it immediately. Both you and the patient should be tested for hepatitis and HIV infection.
• See your doctor right away if the patient has AIDS or HIV infection or refuses to be tested.
• If you do not know which patient the needle came from, you and your doctor will need to decide what tests should be done and what treatment you should have.
• In case you've contracted hepatitis, wash your hands well before eating and after using the bathroom. Do not share food or drinks.
• Even if your first test shows you do not have HIV, you should get another test in 6 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months after your needle stick injury. You should also take the steps necessary to avoid spreading HIV: Use a condom when you have sex. Do not give blood. If you are breast feeding, use formula instead.
• To prevent needle stick injures:
  • Be careful when handling needles, scalpels, and any other sharp objects.
  • Do not put the cap back on a used needle; do not bend or break a needle by hand, and do not take the needle off a disposable syringe.
  • Put all sharp objects in a special holder that only contains sharp items.
• Always wear gloves when you touch anything that has blood or other body fluids on it.

Call Your Doctor If...

• You have not been given your test results.
• You can't drink fluids or you throw up after you eat.
• Your stomach or legs become swollen, itch, or break out in rash.
• You get a fever, rash, or muscle pain; feel tired; or can feel lumps in your neck or under your arms within a year of the injury.
• You vomit or have diarrhea or really bad abdominal pain for more than a few days.