HIV patients

[jessxrn24, ADN]

I have never been one to treat or judge a patient with Aids/hiv status. I treat all of my patients the same. Except recently I had a patient with aids and another nurse made the comment to watch their saliva as well. I thought it was only transmitted through blood and sexual contact. Now I am rather worried and a tad paranoid since I had an aids patient and gotten several oral temps with no gloves on and adjusted nasal cannula and what if I touched my nose or itched my eye and got exposed to it. I looked up on several websites and each one has a different view on aids being transmitted orally....I also read another article that said for every aids patient we have, we’ve taken care of 5 that we didn’t know about. This makes me want to start being even more cautious. What are your thoughts?

[JKL33]

You should know where to find reliable information on health matters. Check the CDC website to answer your question.

Also, review universal precautions.

[brownbook]

Kissing, sharing eating utensils, etc, DO NOT TRANSMIT THE AIDS VIRUS.

I was working in GI, getting set up for the next colonoscopy patient. Got a phone call from the admit nurses warning me the next patient had AIDS. I was not concerned.

The gastroenterologist must have sensed something and asked about the call. I told him and he said an AIDS patient on antivirals is so well controlled there is no reason to take extra precautions. Or ever take any precautions, outside of normal routine GI procedure precautions, for diagnosed, or undiagnosed, HIV positive patients. HIV is NOT easily transmitted!

If gastroenterologist doing millions of colonospies over the past 40 years are not concerned about getting AIDS you can rest assured you need not be.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

Are we talking AIDs patients, or patients with HIV? HUGE difference.

If you are caring for AIDs patients they are severely immunocompromised, and you are a much greater risk to them, then they are to you.

HIV pos patients are just like every one else. Treat them the same. And if their viral load is zero, then you cannot get HIV from them.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Full info here: HIV Transmission | HIV Basics | HIV/AIDS | CDC

Quote

Contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and HIV-infected blood or blood-contaminated body fluids. Deep, open-mouth kissing if both partners have sores or bleeding gums and blood from the HIV-positive partner gets into the bloodstream of the HIV-negative partner. HIV is not spread through saliva.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I have taken care of AIDS patients and HIV positive patients. Standard precautions.

I had a spot of blood come from a kinked catheter during IV removal on an HIV positive patient. It landed on my uncovered wrist above my gloves. He looked at me with an alarmed look on his face. I looked at him and said, "Your viral load is undetectable and my skin is intact. It's ok."

I'm ok. You're ok.

[Glycerine82, LPN]

Its not carried in saliva. You'll get nurses all the time who think they "know it all". Don't lose your confidence and don't second guess yourself.

[inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

There is a minute chance that you can get HIV from a patient, even without antiviral medications. Take universal precautions and consult the CDC for any questions regarding transmitted infections, they have a plethora of knowledge and a hotline!