Needlestick injury and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): a surgeon's personal story

ABSTRACT

With increasing numbers of HIV positive patients worldwide, the oculoplastic surgeon will come into greater contact with them. This increases the chances of accidental occupational exposure and the risk of self-inoculation with HIV. This presentation describes an oculoplastic surgeon's personal experience with a needle stick injury in a known HIV positive patient. The surgeon must be fully educated as to the "2-hour window" after the injury in which the decision must be made with respect to post-exposure anti-retroviral prophylaxis, and initiation of treatment in an attempt to prevent seroconversion. This presentation also outlines the important medical and legal issues of informed consent, ramifications of seroconversion, and the important issues of antiretroviral drug toxicity and compliance. The surgeon will describe the success of the post-exposure prophylaxis regimen in preventing seroconversion for the prescribed six-month follow-up period, and will discuss the tremendous anxiety until the final negative test result was available (AU)