August 13, 200520 yr A patient at a Tacoma, Wash., hospital is in police custody Friday for allegedly spraying nurses with his HIV-infected blood when he became angry with them, according to a Local 6 News report. Witnesses said the man pulled the I-V out of his arm and sprayed several nurses with his infected blood. Nurses at Tacoma General Hospital said a man showed up at the hospital Thursday and became combative while having an IV changed. The man, who was not identified in the report, then allegedly pulled the IV out of his arm and sprayed several nurses with his infected blood. Hospital officials said the man's blood landed on at least one nurse. Tacoma police arrested the man after the incident. "With the seriousness that blood did come in contact with her, and he's aware of the danger of this, that's going to bump up the charges much more serious," Tacoma police spokesman Tracy Conaway said. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story. http://www.local6.com/news/4843787/detail.html
August 13, 200520 yr Wow, any word on whether the nurse(s) contracted the virus from it? 900369[/snapback] i'd be pretty surprised if she did nonetheless if i were her i would have been freaking the f*** out
August 13, 200520 yr What the hell is wrong with people? As for the nurses, I hope they're ok. As far as I know, doesn't HIV/AIDS die when it comes in contact with air? Plus, as long as none entered her, she should be safe.
August 13, 200520 yr That's crazy. Even if all the nurses are alright, just the act of pulling something like that deserves major charges.
August 13, 200520 yr Well, anyone who knows anything about AIDS or HIV knows it has to be contract internally. Basically, it'd have to land on an open sore for the nurse to contract it. I say prosecute the guy to the fullest extent of the law but am ignorant of what that would be. The guy doesn't sound as if he's all there anyways.
August 13, 200520 yr Well, anyone who knows anything about AIDS or HIV knows it has to be contract internally. 900540[/snapback] Well, duh but you still don't pull that s***. I'm sure he's upset he has HIV but no reason to take it out on the nurses.
August 13, 200520 yr Well, anyone who knows anything about AIDS or HIV knows it has to be contract internally. 900540[/snapback] Well, duh but you still don't pull that s***. I'm sure he's upset he has HIV but no reason to take it out on the nurses. 900546[/snapback] What if he's retarded, is all I'm saying. If he's not in control of his facilities, then... Well, tie his arms down. Or just kill him. I don't care.
August 14, 200520 yr They tell most doctors to wear two sets of gloves at times. However, that isn't always smart either. 900631[/snapback] You're not supposed to do that with condoms, so I imagine it's the same with rubber gloves? :mischief2
August 14, 200520 yr They tell most doctors to wear two sets of gloves at times. However, that isn't always smart either. 900631[/snapback] You're not supposed to do that with condoms, so I imagine it's the same with rubber gloves? :mischief2 901165[/snapback] :blink: Um..yeah..thats kind of different. btw, legally speaking, this guy might get hit with reckless endangerment or assault f anything. Perhaps assault with a deadly weapon. :mischief2
August 14, 200520 yr They tell most doctors to wear two sets of gloves at times.? However, that isn't always smart either. 900631[/snapback] This has nothing to do with the issue at hand. If he's spraying them with blood, I'm pretty sure he's not aiming for the hands. Also, two pairs of gloves aren't necessary in RN work as they're generally not dealing with the internal parts of the body. I think the important area of thought lies not in who is wearing what, because RN's have to wear protective clothing of some sort, but morally what we should do to the guy. How liable is he for punishment for his actions? And what punishment?
August 14, 200520 yr My point was that those in medical fields are typically cautious because HIV is a realistic threat. 901998[/snapback] I'm not hating, but don't we take that for granted? I mean, they're SUPPOSED to wear protective smocks. And yet, they can wear short sleeves, which is an exposed area. I just think that isn't where the issue lies, I'm not hating.
August 14, 200520 yr They tell most doctors to wear two sets of gloves at times. However, that isn't always smart either. 900631[/snapback] You're not supposed to do that with condoms, so I imagine it's the same with rubber gloves? :mischief2 901165[/snapback] :blink: Um..yeah..thats kind of different. 901190[/snapback] Abrasion isn't quite as likely in surgery, but two sets of gloves can affect dexterity. 901776[/snapback] I was thinking more in the sense that if blood leaks through the latex of gloves, there is less risk(zero unless u have cuts or abrasions on your hands) than if it leaks through a condom because of the one eyed snake.
August 15, 200520 yr A couple of thoughts: 1) As noted by others, it would be extremely difficult for a nurse to contract AIDS this way. She would have to have the blood enter her bloodstream via an open sore or in rare cases, through her eyes or mouth. 2) I believe it's standard procedure for any healthcare professional who is at risk of contracting AIDS from a patient (usually through an errant needle stick) to immediately start AIDS therapy prophylactically. 3) In many areas, this would be considered assault with a deadly weapon. I hope the nurses are okay. Like teachers, their jobs are often underappreciated and they aren't compensated very well. I hope the AIDS patient is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
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