AIDS Case Study (45 min)
Included In This Lesson
Study Tools For AIDS Case Study (45 min)
Outline
Mr. Hernandez is a 33 year old male with a history of IV Drug Use, Hepatitis C, and HIV. He has previously been managed on HAART therapy, but has been having recurrent bouts of pneumonia in the last 6 months. He presents to the Free Clinic today complaining of weakness and fatigue, shortness of breath, and a
persistent cough. He reports a 10 lb weight loss over the last 3 weeks. He says “I think I have pneumonia again”.
Upon further questioning, the patient reports fever, chills, and night sweats for the last few days. His coughing has been nonproductive. He has diffuse rhonchi through his right lung and scattered rhonchi on the left. A Chest x-ray shows a nodular consolidation on the right side and diffuse infiltrates. The provider orders a CBC with Diff and a CD4 cell count. Vital signs show the following: HR 100 RR 20 BP 108/67 SpO2 90% Temp 101.6°F The Complete Blood Count with Differential shows the following abnormal values: RBC 3.9 H/H 8.1/24.3 WBC 7,000 Plt 104,000 CD4 <10 / mm3 Mr. Hernandez is sent straight to the hospital to be admitted. He is started on high-dose IV antibiotics and his HAART therapy dosages are increased. He receives 2 units of Packed Red Blood Cells when his Hgb drops to 7.6 mg/dL. He continues to be weak and has fevers and night sweats, treated with PO Acetaminophen. He is flushed and his skin is warm. His vital signs in the morning are: HR 110 RR 22 BP 88/47 SpO2 92% on 4 lpm nasal cannula Temp 101.8°F Reference: Diagnostic Criteria for AIDS – https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/aids/diagnosis.html What further history questions and assessment data would you obtain at this time?
What laboratory or diagnostic tests do you anticipate the provider ordering?
What respiratory disease has Mr. Hernandez contracted?
What should your first nursing action be?
What is going on physiologically with Mr. Hernandez? How do you know?
What condition is Mr. Hernandez developing because of his infection?
What medications or treatments might he require to maintain his hemodynamics?
Could anything have been done differently for Mr. Hernandez?
Rina’s NCLEX Study Plan 2026
Concepts Covered:
- Endocrine System
- Studying
- Urinary System
- Tissues and Glands
- Nervous System
- Circulatory System
- Medication Administration
- Hematologic System
- Skeletal System
- Digestive System
- Respiratory System
- Emergency Care of the Cardiac Patient
- Reproductive System
- Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
- Basics of Human Biology
- Muscular System
- Sensory System
- Communication
- Legal and Ethical Issues
- Basics of NCLEX
- Prenatal Concepts
- Prioritization
- Fundamentals of Emergency Nursing
- Documentation and Communication
- Delegation
- Community Health Overview
- Factors Influencing Community Health
- Concepts of Mental Health
- Test Taking Strategies
- Note Taking
- Substance Abuse Disorders
- Behavior
- Concepts of Population Health
- Concepts of Pharmacology
- Health & Stress
- Labor and Delivery
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Microbiology
- Depressive Disorders
- Postpartum Care
- Emergency Care of the Trauma Patient
- Emotions and Motivation
- Growth & Development
- Intelligence and Language
- Psychological Disorders
- State of Consciousness
- Respiratory Disorders
- EENT Disorders
- Infectious Disease Disorders
- Integumentary Disorders
- Neurologic and Cognitive Disorders
- Hematologic Disorders
- Cardiovascular Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Renal and Urinary Disorders
- Oncologic Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Cognitive Disorders
- Eating Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Psychotic Disorders
- Trauma-Stress Disorders
- Bipolar Disorders
- Developmental Considerations
- Psychological Emergencies
- Somatoform Disorders
- Perioperative Nursing Roles
- Preoperative Nursing
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Brain
- Lower GI Disorders
- Peripheral Nervous System Disorders
- Cardiac Disorders
- Integumentary Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Noninfectious Respiratory Disorder
- Postoperative Nursing
- Respiratory Emergencies
- Intraoperative Nursing
- Disorders of Pancreas
- Urinary Disorders
- Neurological Emergencies
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Spinal Cord
- Renal Disorders
- Infectious Respiratory Disorder
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- EENT Disorders
- Shock
- Cardiovascular
- Shock
- Disorders of the Posterior Pituitary Gland
- Endocrine
- Disorders of the Thyroid & Parathyroid Glands
- Gastrointestinal
- Upper GI Disorders
- Liver & Gallbladder Disorders
- Neurological
- Respiratory
- Hematologic Disorders
- Acute & Chronic Renal Disorders
- Disorders of the Adrenal Gland
- Immunological Disorders
- Oncology Disorders
- Female Reproductive Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Trauma
- Vascular Disorders
- Male Reproductive Disorders
- Newborn Complications
- Disorders of Thermoregulation
- Neurological Trauma
- Integumentary Important Points
- Multisystem
- Emergency Care of the Neurological Patient
- Emergency Care of the Respiratory Patient
- Prefixes
- Suffixes
- Fetal Development
- Terminology
- Proteins
- Statistics
- Med Term Basic
- Med Term Whole
- Basics of Mathematics
- Basics of Sociology
- Pregnancy Risks
- Labor Complications
- Newborn Care
- Postpartum Complications
- Understanding Society
- Adult
- Dosage Calculations
- Adulthood Growth and Development
- Learning Pharmacology