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HIV infection from blood test?
Oct 8, 1996
Hi. I recently took a few (non-HIV) blood tests from a reputable medical
center. However, I did not notice
whether a new needle was used or not. Is there a U.S. law saying that even
for regular blood tests, new
needles must be used? Has there been any documented cases of a person getting
HIV from a blood test in
the United States because of re-use of needles?
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Response from Mr. Sowadsky
Hi. Thank you for your question.
In the United States, federal OSHA laws (and various state laws) require that
needles not be re-used between patients. Needles in the USA are disposable,
and are never re-used. For medical equipment that is re-used (this does NOT
include needles), equipment would have to be adequately sterilized between
use between patients. These OSHA laws are very strict, and there can be
substantial penalties if these regulations are not followed.
I am not personally aware of any cases of a person getting an HIV infection
in the USA from getting blood drawn from a re-used needle. If such an
incident would occur, it would be extremely rare, and would be due to
breakdowns in established infection control guidelines. I am aware of a case
of possible transmission in a home setting where needles were shared
accidently between two persons in the home. Even in this incident, the
infection was 100% avoidable, had infection control guidelines been followed.
So if you are getting blood drawn in the USA (and many other Western
countries), the needle that they use would be a single use needle, and is
NEVER supposed to be re-used again. In fact, you will often see the needle
disposed of in a red container right beside you, immediately after it gets
used. This is done to ensure that a needle not be accidently re-used. Most
needle exposures (usually to healthcare workers) occured when standardized
infection control guidelines were not followed. But federal and state laws
do set strict guidelines for healthcare providers in the USA to follow to
prevent accidental exposures through needles.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to call the Centers for Disease Control at 1.800.232.4636 (Nationwide).
Rick Sowadsky MSPH CDS
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