Paucis Verbis: Post-exposure prophylaxis (non-occupational)


You know how chief complaints present to the ED in multiples? In one week, I had several cases where patients were asking for post-exposure prophylaxis treatment NOT in the content of a sexual assault. I haven't had to manage such cases in a long time and so needed to look up the recent guidelines from the CDC.

The trick is not to forget about all the co-existing problems and infections beyond just HIV. Specifically, don't forget about gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomonas. The 2010 CDC website on STD treatment and sexual assault is here:



Landovitz RJ, Currier JS. Postexposure Prophylaxis for HIV Infection New England Journal of Medicine. 2009, 361(18), 1768-75. This article is free to the public: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp0904189