The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 74, Issue 5 641-645, Copyright © 1992 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
The prevalence of seropositivity for human immunodeficiency virus in patients who have severe trauma
JJ Behrens, JP Stannard and AL Bucknell
Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Patients who have severe trauma have been reported to have a substantially
increased rate of seropositivity for human immunodeficiency virus when
compared with the general population. We reviewed the records of 1226
consecutive Code-3 trauma patients who were treated at our institution in
San Antonio, Texas, between 1987 and 1989. All of the patients had serum
drawn to be tested for the human immunodeficiency virus. In contrast with
previously published studies, only 0.8 per cent of these trauma patients
were seropositive. There was no appreciable difference between the
prevalence of seropositivity in patients who sustained blunt trauma and
those who sustained penetrating trauma. Exposure to human immunodeficiency
virus for medical personnel who care for trauma patients remains a concern,
but the risk may be lower than previously reported.