splashed with hep c blood

Hey,
yesterday I had to start an IV on a patient. I did not get it in and blood ended up splashing me over my stomach area. I had a contact gown on over my scrubs. I put pressure on the needle poke site and ended up getting blood on my wrist. My skin was intact. I ended up taking my gloves and gown off. I grabbed the patients blanket and grabbed from a non soiled spot and threw it in the laundry. I then washed my hands and wrist. When I cam to work the next day I found out that the patient has hep C. I was wondering if I am at a huge risk of catching it. The doctor had failed to put that the patient had hep c in the chart... feeling freaked out.
I doubt that you are that much at risk for transmission unless you have a open sore where the blood splashed you. Remember the modes of transmission? Hep C is a blood born pathogen. You need a mode of entry to the blood stream for transmission.

Quote from IsisCI doubt that you are that much at risk for transmission unless you have a open sore where the blood splashed you. Remember the modes of transmission? Hep C is a blood born pathogen. You need a mode of entry to the blood stream for transmission.

Quote from Danielle1987When I cam to work the next day I found out that the patient has hep C. I was wondering if I am at a huge risk of catching it. The doctor had failed to put that the patient had hep c in the chart... feeling freaked out.

Your odds are lower than low. This is why we have skin

You're fine.

Just to be on the safe side, you should also follow your organization's process for reporting an exposure.

Quote from Danielle1987Hey,yesterday I had to start an IV on a patient. I did not get it in and blood ended up splashing me over my stomach area. I had a contact gown on over my scrubs. I put pressure on the needle poke site and ended up getting blood on my wrist. My skin was intact. I ended up taking my gloves and gown off. I grabbed the patients blanket and grabbed from a non soiled spot and threw it in the laundry. I then washed my hands and wrist. When I cam to work the next day I found out that the patient has hep C. I was wondering if I am at a huge risk of catching it. The doctor had failed to put that the patient had hep c in the chart... feeling freaked out.

I had a Hep C exposure, and the thing I hate is never knowing when it might surface. Mine also had a very low likelihood of transmission and yet.... apparently it can show up years later. I have never really felt in the clear.