I had surgery on my right hand about two years ago where I was put under and everything. Before the surgery the doctor took blood (just enough for a blood sample it looked like). Did they test me for HIV when they did this? If not, why do they take the blood?
2006-07-19 08:24:55 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Men's Health
Hey, don't listen to them... they absolutely do NOT test for HIV... those tests are done by permission only and by law require counseling by the doctor or nurse or lab tech prior to actually drawing the test. blood tests done before surgery is to check you blood count to assure that you don't have an infection, your PT and PTT (which someone previously mentioned) which makes sure that your clotting ability is at the right level, otherwise you could bleed to death, the check your blood type and screen it so that if you happen to need a blood transfusion in case of an emergency they would have your blood type available.. not really any reason to do any other type of test except maybe an EKG to see if your heart is doing all the things it should at all the right times... if you would like an HIV test, then ask your doctor or go to a free clinic which is done confidentially, also, if you are a true chicken, and I hate to suggest it, but you could always give blood to find out.. they test all blood and if your blood has any yuckies in it they will contact you.
2006-07-19 08:39:36 · answer #1 · answered by RnforHire 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they did not test you for HIV. HIV testing is consent only and is not done routinely. Prior to any surgery blood is tested for CBC and Chem Panels ...this is complete blood count and the chemistry of your blood. This way the doctor can tell if your chemistry is off...ie : essential levels of sodium, potassium, glucose, and others ...if these things are too low or too elevated you may need extra medications to replace or delete them somewhat to prevent complications while you are under anesthesia for your surgery. The complete blood count allows the doctor to make sure you do not suffer too much blood loss during surgery. These tests are usually routinely run again after major surgery or if there were any problems during your surgery they will be run again. If it is minor same day home surgery and the values were normal from the start and you did not have problems during surgery they will not be routinely run again.
2006-07-19 08:33:36 · answer #2 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not as of yet, legislation is changing to where they will be testing with the patients' consent.
So chances are likely they didn't test it for HIV then.
What are they looking for when they do do a blood draw is another matter and it's usually done for a variety of reasons. What those reasons are you should discuss with your doctor. However given that it's been 2 years since this was done, I wouldn't worry it, if they had found something suspicious, you would have been contacted by now.
2006-07-19 08:30:25 · answer #3 · answered by delilahlookingforsampson 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they are not typically testing you for HIV, or any other illness. Instead, they are checking your blood count (checking for anemia, or for a high white blood cell count that may mean you have some sort of infection), checking for blood clotting problems, checking your blood gases (the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood, as well as its acidity), and checking your blood glucose level. If you are a woman, they may also check to see if you are pregnant.
I don't believe you can be tested for HIV without your explicit consent, by the way.
2006-07-19 08:31:34 · answer #4 · answered by Meg 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't check your HIV status without your consent. The blood that was taken is routine blood test before surgery. Usually they check chemistry, cbc and pt/ptt.
2006-07-19 10:12:32 · answer #5 · answered by marky 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes they do.
They test it for compatibility in case you need a blood transfusion if surgury goes horribly wrong or any pre-existing conditions that may effect the outcome / healing process of the surgury.
Another reason is that if you are HIV positive they can't use certain medications and they have to get certain types of additional insurance coverage from THEIR provider before operating.
whether they tell you or not is the question..
2006-07-19 08:37:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
probably yes but its not like that they took u r blood for hiv test only....they have to do some regular tests of u r blodd as pre op check ups
2006-07-19 08:31:03 · answer #7 · answered by beyond_sleepness 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they do test you for HIV, but not sure about if they don't test for HIV what is the blood for.
2006-07-19 08:30:51 · answer #8 · answered by tot 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe. Ask the physician that wrote the order or operated you.
But it is sure that they tested for blood type, complete blood count, PT, PTT.
2006-07-19 08:30:09 · answer #9 · answered by mbestevez 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, its to see levels of different stuff, depends ownwhat u wrote own your paper work , of past things are like high blood pressure things like that i think.
2006-07-19 08:29:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋