Internal Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum: Consensus Recommendations from the Canadian Internal Medicine Ultrasound (CIMUS) Group.

Bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used to assess medical patients. At present, no consensus exists for what POCUS curriculum is appropriate for internal medicine residency training programs. This document details the consensus-based recommendations by the Canadian Internal Medicine Ultrasound (CIMUS) group, comprising 39 members, representing 14 institutions across Canada. Guiding principles for selecting curricular content were determined a priori. Consensus was defined as agreement by at least 80% of the members on POCUS applications deemed appropriate for teaching and assessment of trainees in the core (internal medicine postgraduate years [PGY] 1-3) and expanded (general internal medicine PGY 4-5) training programs. We recommend four POCUS applications for the core PGY 1-3 curriculum (inferior vena cava, lung B lines, pleural effusion, and abdominal free fluid) and three ultrasound-guided procedures (central venous catheterization, thoracentesis, and paracentesis). For the expanded PGY 4-5 curriculum, we recommend an additional seven applications (internal jugular vein, lung consolidation, pneumothorax, knee effusion, gross left ventricular systolic function, pericardial effusion, and right ventricular strain) and four ultrasound-guided procedures (knee arthrocentesis, arterial line insertion, arterial blood gas sampling, and peripheral venous catheterization). These recommendations will provide a framework for training programs at a national level.

The impact of initial highly active antiretroviral therapy on future treatment sequences in HIV infection.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the initial use of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) or protease inhibitors (PI) differentially influences subsequent HIV therapy. DESIGN: A cohort study using a prospective clinical database in a university-based HIV clinic. SUBJECTS: A total of 440 HIV-seropositive patients, naive or nucleoside experienced, initiating therapy with either an NNRTI or PI between January 1998 and July 2003 and followed to December 2003. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time until stopping the first regimen and until exposure to all antiretroviral classes (excluding tenofovir and enfuvirtide) according to the type of initial regimen. RESULTS: A total of 291 subjects initiated HAART with PI and 149 with NNRTI; median follow-up 3.1 and 2.3 years, respectively. Subjects starting NNRTI remained on their initial regimens longer (median time to change 2.1 versus 1.6 years; log rank P = 0.03). Overall, subjects initiating NNRTI-based regimens were less likely to alter their therapy. Previous nucleoside exposure was an important predictor of treatment modification. Subjects initiating NNRTI-based HAART were also less likely to experience virological failure than those initiating PI-based HAART. Individuals starting with NNRTI were exposed to fewer regimens (15 versus 25% received three or fewer regimens), and showed a trend towards lower rates of three-class exposure (7 versus 12%). CONCLUSION: There is a high rate of treatment modification among patients initiating HAART. The initial use of NNRTI-based HAART was associated with more durable treatment and lower rates of virological failure, which may translate into a reduced need for multiple salvage therapies.

Prevention of HIV-associated opportunistic infections and diseases in the age of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the rates of opportunistic infections have decreased markedly as has overall morbidity and mortality from HIV infection in developed countries. However, opportunistic infections remain the most important cause of death in HIV-infected people due to both late presentation of HIV infections and failure of HAART to adequately restore cell-mediated immunity in all individuals. While prophylaxis may be discontinued in patients who have responded to HAART with sustained increases of their CD4 counts above risk thresholds, for those patients who fail HAART, those who are unable to tolerate it, or whose treatments are interrupted, opportunistic-infection prophylaxis remains essential. Some HIV-associated diseases, such as anogenital human papilloma virus-induced neoplasia and hepatitis C infection, have not decreased in frequency with the advent of HAART. For these conditions, effective screening and treatment programs will be necessary to prevent ongoing morbidity. This review will provide an update on HIV-associated opportunistic infections and their prevention in the age of HAART, as well as discuss novel presentations of opportunistic illnesses, such as immune restoration syndromes.