Is Antiretroviral Treatment after Percutaneous HIV Exposure Justified?
Authors: Julie Gerberding
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1993)

Editorials15 June 1993Is Antiretroviral Treatment after Percutaneous HIV Exposure Justified?Julie Gerberding, MD, MPHJulie Gerberding, MD, MPHSan Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-118-12-199306150-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The practice of treating health care providers occupationally exposed to human immunodeficiency virus with zidovudine has become widespread, despite the absence of data showing treatment efficacy. We need to encourage basic and clinical research relevant to occupational exposure so that a scientific basis for postexposure use can be established. In the interim, Provision of zidovudine or other antiviral agents should be regarded as an experimental treatment option, not as a standard of care.At least 50 000 health care workers may have sustained needlestick or similar percutaneous exposures to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the first decade of the acquired ...References1. Tokars JI, Marcus R, Culver DH, Schable C, McKibben PS, Bandea CI, et al. Surveillance of HIV infection and zidovudine use among health care workers with occupational exposure to HIV-infected blood. Ann Intern Med. 1993; 118:913-919. Google Scholar2. LaFon SW, Lehrman SN, Barry DW. Prophylactically administered Retrovir in health care workers potentially exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus. J Infect Dis. 1988; 158:503. Google Scholar3. LaFon SW, Mooney BD, McMullen JP, et al. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and efficacy of Retrovir (zidovudine, ZDV) as a chemoprophylactic agent in health care workers (Abstract 489). In: Program and Abstracts of the 30th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. American Society for Microbiology, Atlanta, Georgia. 21-24 October 1990. Google Scholar4. Fahrner R, Beekmann S, Koziol DE, Henderson DK, Gerberding JL. Safety of zidovudine as post-exposure chemoprophylaxis for health care workers after occupational exposure to HIV (Abstract PcC 4132). In: Abstracts of the VIII International Conference on AIDS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. July 1992. Google Scholar5. Beekmann S, Fahrner R, Koziol DE, Gerberding JL, Henderson DK. Safety of zidovudine (AZT) administered as post-exposure prophylaxis to health care workers sustaining occupational exposures to HIV. Program of the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Anaheim, California. October 1992. Google Scholar6. Shih CC, Kaneshima H, Rabin L, Namikawa R, Sager P, McGowan J, et al. Postexposure prophylaxis with zidovudine suppresses human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in SCID-hu mice in a time-dependent manner. J Infect Dis. 1991; 163:625-7. Google Scholar7. Van Rompay KK, Marthas ML, Ramos RA, Mandel CP, McGowan EK, Joye SM, et al. Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of infant rhesus macaques as a model to test antiretroviral drug prophylaxis and therapy: oral 3-azido-3-deoxythymidine prevents SIV infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1992; 36:2381-6. Google Scholar8. Gerberding JL, Henderson DK. Management of occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens: hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus. Clin Infect Dis. 1992; 14:1179-85. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110.Corresponding Author: J.L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, Medical Service 5H-22, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSurveillance of HIV Infection and Zidovudine Use among Health Care Workers after Occupational Exposure to HIV-Infected Blood Jerome I. Tokars , Ruthanne Marcus , David H. Culver , Charles A. Schable , Penny S. McKibben , Claudiu I. Bandea , and David M. Bell Metrics Cited byPOSTEXPOSURE CHEMOPROPHYLAXIS FOR OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO HIV IN THE DENTAL OFFICECandidate antiretroviral agents for use in postexposure prophylaxisEpidemiologic Concepts and MethodsPostexposure Prophylaxis for Occupational Exposures to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Human Immunodeficiency VirusManagement of occupational exposure to HIVRISKS OF HIV INFECTION IN THE HEALTH CARE SETTINGThe management of the sexual assault victim in the emergency departmentPostexposure Requirements and Counseling Issues Resulting from the Bloodborne Pathogens StandardManagement of Occupational Exposure to HIVSIDA. Actualités 1993 15 June 1993Volume 118, Issue 12Page: 979-980KeywordsAnimal modelsAntiretroviralsClinical trialsDrugsHIVHIV infectionsHealth care providersProphylaxisRandomized trialsToxicity Issue Published: 15 June 1993 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1993 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...