Does anyone have any information on the treatment of needle stick injuries with cytotoxic agents. Do you think this should be treated as an extravasation or just like any other needle stick. I hope you will be able to help
Many thanks
Paula

By Andrew Stanley on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 03:42 pm:

If the operator injects some cytotoxic, it is treated as an extravasation injury. If not, or the wound bleeds immediately and profusely, treat it according to your Trust's needle-stick injury policy for 'clean' injuries, i.e. no infection risk.

Kind regards

Andrew Stanley,
Director, National Extravasation Information Service.

By Anonymous on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 05:09 am:

I had an unsuccessful ductogram of the breast nipple today because of extravasation. I gather that meant that the radiologist who attempted it pierced the duct wall with the needle and injected contrast material into the tissue surrounding the duct, as well as into the duct itself. The breast surgeon told me as a result there could be no mapping of a possible cancer site there, and that she would have to wait at least two weeks before doing a duct excision, without benefit of a ductogram, until the contrast material has been absorbed from the surrounding tissue. This sounds pretty awful to me, not to mention the delay in finding out whether I have ductal breast cancer because of this "mistake'. Does anyone have knowledge of this type of extravasation or had an experience with it?

Peggy