Blood contact on nail bed

[Jackson46]

I work with patients in a community setting. After a skin procedure I had bloody gloves that I removed and when I did so I accidentally got some blood on my nail, around my nail edge and over the skin of my thumb. I didn't have any visible cuts but my nails were trimmed.

I know intact skin isn't a risk but my main concern is some of the blood covered the edge of my nail bed, do you think there is any small risk of transmission in this case?

Luckily the patient was getting blood work done and agreed to do hiv and hepatitis testing, so I will feel better once I see he's negative, but I still will be paranoid that maybe he got a recent infection and he's in the window period. And of course I will test but gotta wait 3 months to get out of the window period.

Thank you for your help.

[Flaco]

Wow, I thought you meant, well, lying on a bed of nails. 

I hope he comes back negative.

[Lynn K]

Hep c requires blood to blood to contact even health workers who have an accidental needle stick involving a patient with known hep c the risk is 1.8%

as a medical worker have you not had training about blood transmitted illness?

[Jackson46]

Yes we do, but a nail edge/nail bed is not something that has been specifically commented on. I do not know whether or not to consider that non-intake skin or intact skin. The CDC suggests blood exposure to non-intact skin as a risk, but would you consider a nail bed/edge non-intact or intact?

[Lynn K]

Is a nail bed wet skin open to the blood stream? Hep c requires an open wound blood to blood contact.

If concerned get tested in 6 months for the hep c antibody

[Jackson46]

Thanks for your advice. Is the window for hep c, 3 months or 6 months?

[Lynn K]

To be totally assured of an accurate test it can take time for antibodies to develop especially if the person is immunocompromised in some other way so that is why I suggested 6 months. If wanting to get results sooner you could have the HCV RNA by PCR test that checks for the presence of the hep c virus itself. My lab charges my insurance $400 but to me that seems like a huge waste of money for what is very likely a negative test result for a now very curable, slowly acting, illness.

In other words there is no need to rush for multiple reasons.