HIV infection/AIDS and critical care

The complications of HIV infection may involve almost any organ system, often resulting in severe dysfunction that may be life threatening. Other disorders not associated with HIV infection may occur in HIV-infected patients and may be severe enough to require critical care. The risk for HIV infection may be unrecognized or undiagnosed at the time of admission to the intensive care unit, placing nurses and other health care providers at risk for the transmission of disease. In the critical care setting, compliance with infection control requires the integration of specific policies and procedures into crises-based practices.