Needlestick Injury: My Personal Story

Abstract

During the summer of 1996, while "scrubbed“ on a vaginal hysterectomy, I received an accidental needlestick injury from a contaminated, blood covered suture needle. At the time of the occurrence the patient/client was bleeding profusely. I immediately informed the surgeon, surgical assistant and circulating nurse of my injury, exclaiming "I've been stabbed!". It took approximately five seconds for the ramifications of the injury to register in all of us. While removing my outside gloves I asked my circulating nurse to get the bleach bottle and the two of us began our immediate first aid. We ran the bleach over the area and I proceeded to manually express blood from the puncture site with my left thumb. During this time I maintained my sterile field; the surgeon kept suturing and the bleeding was controlled. I regowned, gloved and finished the case. The case ended approximately l5 minutes after my puncture.