Abstract

Although emergency physicians would rarely find themselves in a position to make decisions regarding perinatal HIV prophylaxis, this report does bring up some new issues that could affect care in the emergency department (ED). Rapid HIV tests that have recently become available could have several useful applications in the ED setting. Pregnant women with no prenatal care are more likely to present to EDs when they are ready to deliver or when they have a problem. 1 Minkoff HL McCalla S Feldman J The relationship of cocaine use to syphilis and HIV infection among inner city parturient women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1990; 163: 521-526 Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar Emergency physicians should be aware that HIV testing and perinatal antiretroviral treatment can reduce the likelihood of transmitting HIV to infants, but it would be a rare circumstance in which this would be done in the ED. More important applications for rapid HIV testing in the ED would include (1) testing patients with unknown HIV status who present with problems that could possibly be due to opportunistic infections associated with AIDS, (2) testing of source patients involved in blood/body fluid exposures, and (3) ED-based HIV screening programs for persons at risk.

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