Critical care management of the patient with HIV infection who has Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is the most frequently occurring opportunistic infection in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Improved methods of diagnosing and treating PCP have resulted in increased survival rates. Nurses are more frequently faced with treatment of the critical care patient with PCP. Knowledge about the mechanisms and manifestations of PCP as well as its diagnosis and treatment provides a baseline for the nursing management of PCP. Nursing care for the critically ill adult patient with PCP focuses on the management of the human responses to PCP including hyperthermia, impaired gas exchange, altered respiratory function, fatigue, and altered nutrition, and on the management of the side effects of treatment including nausea, vomiting, and hypoglycemia. Effective interventions related to these patient problems can improve the quality of care and ultimately affect patient outcomes.