Are re-usable tourniquets a likely way of transmission?

General Discussion
1

Hello there,

Are re-usable tourniquets a likely way of transmission?

I had to get a blood test and the nurse used a re-usable tourniquet. When she was done done she wiped the blood from my arm with a tissue and then touched the tourniquet with the same gloves that might had traces of blood on them. She’d likely have done the same with other people’s blood as well and I worry that she could have transmitted any virsl particles to me while drawing blood.

I was fully vaccinated for hep b as a child, and had a booster in Dec 2023.
Blood was actually taken to determine my antibody status :slight_smile:

Thanks for your reply
And I’m sorry, I do have OCD but try my best to divide facts from fiction and be reasonable while staying safe.

2

Hi @Lilchicken,
Thanks for your question. I understand you are worried about such event(s), but given that you are fully vaccinated you should not burden yourself with such worries. You mentioned that you are fully vaccinated and even boosted last December, you should not be worrying so much about getting hepatitis B. Is it possible that what the nurse did can lead to a transmission I think so but is that likely, definitely No. Because there are no evidence that exist for this mode of transmission. Most transmission is through birth, sex, blood transfusion, and sharing needles through drug use. I hope this is helpful. Best, bansah1.

3

Hi @Lilchicken,

I agree with @Bansah1 that this route has a low to negligible risk of transmission given the alcohol wipe that is used prior to the blood taking as well as your vaccination status.

Thomas

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