Thursday, June 19, 2008

Thursday June 19, 2008

Q; You have been approached by a resident, who accidentally stuck himself while doing central line in a known Hepatitis C patient. He wants to know, what are his chances of getting Hepatitis C?


A; about 2%

After needle stick or sharps exposure to HCV positive blood, about 2 healthcare workers out of 100 will get infected with HCV.

Immediately wash the site well with water(squeezing or milking the site is of little benefit). Interferon or immune globulin should not be used for postexposure prophylaxis. Activate hospital policy for post occupational exposure. Following steps should be taken:

  1. Baseline testing of patient for anti-HCV.
  2. For the person exposed to an HCV-positive source, baseline and follow-up testing including­ baseline testing for anti-HCV and ALT activity; and­ follow-up testing for anti-HCV (e.g., at 4-6 months) and ALT activity. (If earlier diagnosis of HCV infection is desired, testing for HCV RNA may be performed at 4-6 weeks.)
  3. Confirmation by supplemental anti-HCV testing of all anti-HCV results reported as positive by enzyme immunoassay.