Clinical Stability in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

12Citations
Citations of this article
13Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Clinical stability (CS), defined as normalization of vital signs, is often used to manage inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The main objective of our study was to identify a reliable definition of CS for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients with CAP. During an 18-month period, 437 HIV-positive Italian inpatients with CAP were enrolled in the study. We used 3 definitions of CS (from a less conservative [definition 1] to a more conservative [definition 3] definition) based on combinations of different thresholds for vital signs. Assessments were performed at admission and daily during the hospital stay. For the 3 definitions, 14.9%, 8.0%, and 4.8% of patients were stable at baseline, with deterioration after reaching CS in 7.16%, 4.76%, and 2.05%, respectively. The 8 patients whose conditions deteriorated after reaching CS definition 3 (systolic blood pressure, >90 mm Hg; pulse, <90 beats/min; respiratory rate, <20 breaths/min; oxygen saturation, >90%; temperature, <37°C; ability to eat; and normal mental status) survived and were discharged from the hospital. The more conservative definition of CS appears to be reliable for the management of HIV-infected patients with CAP.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Viale, P., Scudeller, L., Petrosillo, N., Girardi, E., Cadeo, B., Signorini, L., … Carosi, G. (2004). Clinical Stability in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 38(2), 271–279. https://doi.org/10.1086/380788

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free