Case study: HIV seroconvertion caused by occupational accidents

Introduction
The risk of exposition to biological agents like the various types of hepatitis virus and HIV is very high to health professionals because they daily need to handle all sort of needles, scalpels and other hospital equipment which can potentially cause an infection if the safety procedures are not observed. Despite the world official registration of incidence of work accidents involving biologic risk is high, the HIV seroconvertion fortunately does not occurs so often. Since the first health personnel contamination reported in 1984 until 2008 only 313 cases were published in the medical literature. The objective is to demonstrate the clinical evolution of a work accident which resulted in HIV seroconvertion of the worker victim. 

Methods
Report a clinical case of HIV seroconvertion caused by work accident in a health professional of a South America’s country.

Results
The employee has suffered twice times work accidents involving unknown source patients in a period less than 3 months. Both with superior member injuries caused in consequence of incorrect disposal of contaminated surgical material by other people. The emotional instability inherent to situation, the fear of discrimination, the sociocultural conditions and adverse effects of the prophylactic drugs against HIV had made the injured patient interrupt their treatment after only two weeks of use. When the follow-up tests revealed that the contamination had happened the situation has deteriorated further with worsening of depressive symptoms secondary and consternation of the family.

Discussion
The present study describes how important is the prevention of biological risk exposition, the correct administration and use of the chemoprophylaxis by health personnel which had work accident with potentially infected hospital equipment. The importance of the existence and application of a treatment protocol and follow-up serology tests is also evidenced by the irreversible damage caused by an HIV seroconvertion in a person's life.