Question

Scenario: A nurse working in the Emergency Room is attempting to start an IV on a very bloody trauma patient. The patient starts to seize and the nurse looses her grip and sticks herself with the bloody IV needle (ADDRESS ALL POINTS BELOW)

• Describe the viral characteristics of HIV and discuss why the virus eventually results in the disease AIDS.
• If the patient is in the initial few weeks of their HIV infection, is it likely that the test will show their true HIV status? Would the test need to be repeated at a later date? If so, why?
• Why would we treat the nurse with an Antiretroviral drug? (check out the website for help with this question:  https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/hiv-prevention/using-hiv-medication-to-reduce-risk/post-exposure-prophylaxis )
• Why would we want to monitor CD4+ cell populations in a person that is suspected to have contracted HIV?

Answer 1

1. AIDS(Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome) is a viral disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus(HIV),which destroys T cells,thereby increasing susceptibility to infection and malignancy and is manifested by opportunistic infections and unusual neoplasms ,is often considered as a chronic illness..It has a long incubation period of 10 years or longer.The virus is surrounded by a membrane made of fatty materials with spikes which is made of proteins and inside it is coated with a membrane which contains proteins .The virus is mainly transmitted through blood,semen,vaginal secretions and breast milk .There are mainly two types of transmissions .Horizontal and Vertical transmission. Horizontal transmission occurs through sexual contact or parental exposure to blood or body fluids which contain the virus.Vertical transmission occurs from an HIV-infected pregnant women to her foetus.

2.The HIV virus mainly destroys the CD4+ cells which helps in keeping the body immune to diseases.When a person gets infected with HIV ,the CD4+cells gets destroyed,as more CD4+ cells get damaged it will result in decreased immune system and the body of the patient will not be able to fight against infections which result in the disease AIDS.

3.Usually when a patient gets infected with HIV ,during the window period (that is the time when a patients gets initial exposure to HIV to until the test will give an accurate result.)eventhough the patient may be seriously inflicted with the disease but the test for HIV will show negative.An antibody testing to detect the presence of HIV infection can be done at 4 weeks but you will require a test at 12 weeks after the exposure to be considered it as HIV negative.

4.When a needle stick injury has occured to the nurse while treating an HIV patient ,she needs to take a 4 week Post -exposure prophylaxis(PEP) program which includes taking of two or three anti retroviral medications several times a day.It has some serious sideffects and is not 100%effective.

5.CD4+cells which is otherwise known as T-helper cells is often considered as the key immune monitoring tool.It gives an indication of how healthy a persons immune system is!.while taking HIV treatment it is necessary that the patients CD4 count ischecked regularly to see whether it is rising .Once a patient is diagnosed with HIV it is necessary to check his CD4 count to detect the extent of severity of HIV infection.