Does a patient with HIV need isolation precautions?
Patients with HIV in general do not need to be placed on isolation precautions, however, if the HIV+ patient has respiratory symptoms (i.e., cough, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, chest pain, etc.) they need to be placed on Airborne Precautions until an alternative diagnosis can be confirmed. HIV patients do not manifest typical symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, so the suspicion index should be high. Infection Control and Prevention should be consulted for any questions on patient placement through the on-call beeper- # 835-1205.
