I am attending a 2-day workshop on "Early Identification of HIV
Infection in Women and Infants" presented by the New York State
Department of Health.  I discussed, with one of the presenters, the
situation of the RN with the Nursing baby who received a needle stick
after the needle had been used on an HIV+ patient, and her dilemma about
whether to continue breastfeeding while awaiting test results.  She
suggested that, rather than waiting months for definitive word on the
HIV antibody tests, that the mom could have a polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) test.  This test checks for virus in a person's blood.  It is
accurate days after exposure so that she could have the results in two
weeks or less.  It should be able to be done in most large cities
throughout the country.  It is more expensive (~ $150.00), but her
insurance might cover it.  Or her hospital might pay for it since it was
a workplace exposure.  This test is commonly done on newborns in NYS who
test positive at birth, to determine whether it is just mom's
circulating antibody's that were detected or whether the baby is truly
infected with HIV.

Barbara Berges BS, RN, IBCLC
Rochester, New York