stupidity and needles

Before I write about stupidity and needles, I would like to rejoice that my keys are back in my possession. Fortunately, one of the strata council ladies has a son who is an elevator repair man. He graciously came and fished my keys out from underneath the elevator on Sunday afternoon. YAY! I can now take out the garbage.

On to stupidity and needles. Safety and blood gets talked about quite a lot in my profession. We wear latex gloves when there is the possibility of coming into contact with bodily fluids. We have special garbage bags for things that are soaked in bodily fluids. We are especially careful with blood and blood products. Over the past 10-20 years manufacturers have developed a number of 'safety needles'. Most needles now have protective coverings that go over the needles once it's been used. The needle used to start an IV retracts into a sheath with spring loaded action after you hit a button. This is to keep the IV starter from ever coming into contact with the needle.

Apparently there have been some issues. The needle isn't retracting expeditiously enough for some or at all for others. The manufacturer just released an advisory, including the following statement:

if retraction does not occur or is slow, depress the button again and do not manipulate the exposed needle by shaking or striking the needle

Who would do this?!! Seriously. Shaking the needle would be bad enough considering it's probably got blood in it. But striking the needle? Honestly. What exactly would you strike the needle with? Your other gloved hand? No, that hand is holding the IV in. Perhaps your leg? Perhaps you could strike the needle on various objects around the room. The bed? the siderail? I don't know. But most companies don't issue advisories like this unless someone has actually tried it. I hope whoever that was keeps it to themselves 'cause I might just have a hard time with that.