Sharp's injuries

Question 1

What does U=U mean?

Answer 1

An undetectable viral load. This means the virus is not transmissible due to medication.

e.g. HIV treatment using cART

Question 2

What blood borne viruses are we concerned about with Sharp’s injuries?

Answer 2

HIV

Hep B

Hep C

Question 3

What is a sharp’s injury or exposure?

Answer 3

• This is when an instrument contaminated by blood or bodily fluids pierces through the skin.
• When eyes/ nose/ mouth is contaminated by blood or bodily fluids.
• When blood or bodily fluid splashes onto broken skin
• When a human bite breaks the skin.

Question 4

How do we legally manage sharps?

Answer 4

Sharp’s injuries must be reported.

Question 5

What is being sharp’s aware?

Answer 5

Apply pressure and allow the wound to bleed.

Wash the wound with water and soap (wash don’t scrub)

Assess the injury

Risk of source blood

Establish contact (report the sharps injury and follow up with prophylaxis.)

Question 6

How do you assess the type of injury?

Answer 6

Was it a high risk material?

• Blood & bodily fluid- HIGH RISK
• Saliva- only risk of HBV.

Was it a significant injury?

• Through the skin?
• Human bite with skin exposure
• Was there exposure of broken skin to blood or bodily fluids.

Non significant- exposure of intact skin or a superficial graze.

The device= HIGH RISK?

• Visibly contaminated with blood
• Placed in a patient’s blood vessel

Question 7

How do you assess the status of the source?

Answer 7

Another colleague contacts the patient and asks for permission to take a blood sample.

This allows you to find out if they were infected.

If the patient does not consent- You risk assess based on circumstances

Question 8

How do you assess the status of the sharp’s injury recipient?

Answer 8

• You have the recipient’s baseline blood samples to provide a comparison.
• You will know their HEP B vaccination history-

Are they fully vaccinated/ partially vaccinated.

Did they respond to the vaccination or not?

• You want to know their history of BBV tests.

Question 9

What is post exposure prophylaxis?

Answer 9

This is the treatment given if the recipient has not recieved the Hep B virus.

1. Patient is given immunoglobulin to provide immediate protection
2. Patient is given Hep B vaccination to boost immunity (takes a few days to work)

Question 10

How do you follow up treatment of a sharp’s injury?

Answer 10

You do blood tests after 12 weeks.

If the infection does not show up in the recipient’s blood it is very likely that they are clear.

Question 11

How do we prevent exposure & transmission of Blood borne viruses?

Answer 11

• Vaccination
• Safer sharps devices
• No recapping
• disposal via sharps containers
• Practice procedures
• Recording & reporting
• hand hygiene
• PPE
• Risk assessment
• Elimination of unneccessary needles

Question 12

Compare the two types of sharp’s device?

Answer 12

Active- will disable the sharp automatically

Passive- if you do not activate the mechanism, you will be at risk of a sharp’s injury.

Question 13

Compare the work requirements for employees infected with HIV, Hep C and Hep B

Answer 13

HIV= need to be on medication that reduces your viral load.

Hep C- infection needs to be cleared.

Hep B- need to be on a medication that reduces your viral load.