Antiretroviral therapy in the intensive care unit

Abstract

Antiretroviral drugs have dramatically improved the prognosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection over the recent decades. Currently, most of the HIV-infected patients in France are receiving antiretroviral therapy. Since admission of HIV-infected patients to the intensive care unit (ICU) is not an infrequent event, ICU physicians may commonly have to manage antiretroviral drugs besides the regular intensive care medications. This review focuses on the general principles of antiretroviral therapy in HIV infection as well as on some important points related to the specific use of antiretroviral agents in the ICU, including optimal starting time, administration regimen, drug toxicities, and drug-drug interactions.