Blood exposure accident
Every day in our practices, we handle all sorts of dangerous instruments that increase the risk of cuts. This threat, which hangs over us as healthcare professionals and podiatrists, can manifest itself at any time.
In any sharp injury, the podiatrist is exposed to the risk of contact with a patient's blood. According to the Bordeaux Center for Coordination of Committees for the Fight Against Nosocomial Infections (CCLN), a bloodborne pathogen exposure incident (BPE) is defined as any contact with blood or contaminated biological fluid occurring through a skin breach, splashing onto a mucous membrane, or onto damaged skin.
This topic is at the heart of our profession, which is why My Podologie wants to talk to you about it.
The AES protocol
The protocol for handling bloodborne pathogen exposure incidents is a rigorous procedure designed to limit and manage as early as possible all risks associated with contact with another individual's bodily fluids. It is subdivided into six key steps, each playing an important role.
1. Stop the procedure immediately
The moment of realization of the accident occurs when the healthcare professional recognizes having suffered a puncture, cut, contact with broken skin, or contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes involving blood or contaminated bodily fluid from their patient. Treating the emergency is absolutely essential. This is why the podiatrist must immediately interrupt their treatment to focus on following the steps of the AES protocol.
2. Perform first aid procedures
You perform the initial emergency procedures:
In cases of stings, cuts and contact with damaged skin...
The primary goal is to prevent bleeding. Apply pressure to the injured area using a sterile compress. Clean the wound or the area of contact with water and mild liquid soap. Rinse thoroughly with water and then pat dry with a sterile compress.
Perform antisepsis on the injured area by applying an antiseptic solution (stabilized Dakin's solution, Betadine solution, 70% denatured alcohol) for 5 minutes. You can immerse the affected area in the antiseptic solution or apply a saturated swab.
In the case of splashing onto the mucous membranes of the eyes...
Rinse your eyes thoroughly with water or saline solution for at least 5 minutes.
3. Contact the appropriate people
Please note that the current health situation is not a reason to avoid a hospital visit from your doctor in the event of an accidental exposure to blood or body fluids (AEB). You can go to the hospital as it is an emergency. The people to contact at this stage of the protocol are either the emergency department or the designated AEB medical liaison.
Within 4 hours of the accident, you must:
- To have a blood test to examine the serology of certain types of viruses (HIV, HBV, HCV).
- Assess the risk of infection, by observing the type of injury and the patient's serological status.
- If necessary, start a prophylactic treatment* in agreement with the referring physician.
*Set of medical measures implemented to prevent the onset, worsening or spread of diseases.
4. Report the workplace accident
Two different cases need to be presented:
For employees...
You must report the workplace accident to your employer within a maximum of 24 hours.
For self-employed professionals and employers...
A workplace accident must be reported within 48 hours. The employer must send a medical certificate to the CPAM (French Health Insurance Fund) to meet the requirements. Self-employed healthcare professionals must do the same by contacting their insurance company.
5. Monitoring the injured person over time
After completing all the previous steps, the health professional's condition will need to be checked by a doctor, who will have to carefully review the injured person's additional tests (serology) and any atypical clinical signs.
6. Analyze and gain perspective on your accident
It is important to take a step back and reflect on what happened in order to identify the factors that led to this accident. This period of personal reflection will allow the practitioner to modify their behavior in the office should it have caused this unfortunate incident.
Some precautions
In order to ensure the proper implementation of the AES protocol as quickly as possible, the ONPP (National Order of Pedicurists-Podiatrists) has made it mandatory to display the contact details of the AES referring physician and the nearest hospital (Emergency) in Pedicure-Podiatry practices.
It is important to remember that all OPCT (sharp, cutting, cutting) material is likely to be the source of contamination, whether in pedicure care or in its decontamination process.
As we all know, you should never remove scalpel, gouge, or other blades by hand, even when wearing surgical gloves. We can separate the different blades from the handles using either forceps or blade extractors designed for this purpose.
To conclude
My Podologie simply hopes you never need to use the protocol explained above! Take care!
