Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS): Treatment Overview

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Treatment Overview

Treatment for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) consists of supporting you through the illness, usually in an intensive care unit. Treatment may include:

• Using a mechanical ventilator to help you breathe. This includes monitoring the amount of oxygen in your blood and adjusting the treatment as needed to maintain the proper amount of oxygen in your blood.
• Monitoring the pressure and blood flow in your heart and lungs by placing a thin tube (pulmonary artery catheter) inside your heart and lungs.
• Using intravenous (IV) fluids and medicines to maintain your blood pressure and prevent shock.

What To Think About

If you think you have hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), you should seek immediate medical care to evaluate whether emergency medical treatment is needed to support your breathing and to prevent shock.

During the initial outbreak of the virus in 1993, about 70% of people who developed HPS died.¹ Today, the death rate has fallen to about 40%, perhaps because of improved treatment with fluids and other supportive care early in the course of the illness.²

New treatments to improve the chance of survival are being studied.

Last updated:	March 03, 2008
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Mark A. Rasmus, MD - Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC