Significance of the human immunodeficiency virus infection in patients submitted to cardiac surgery.
BACKGROUND
To realize if cardiac surgery could interfere with the evolution of HIV infected patients to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).


METHODS
The study group consisted of 30 HIV positive patients (0.21%) among 14,785 who underwent cardiac surgery at the Heart Institute of University of Sao Paulo Medical School (Incor-FMUSP) from November 1988 to December 1994. Patients were followed up until they were discharged from hospital and a new contact was kept at the end of the first semester of 1995.


RESULTS
All patients were asymptomatic at the time they were operated. Two patients progressed to death during hospitalization due to non-infectious complications and other three patients could not be traced. After all 25 patients had their progression evaluated. Six patients (24%) died within a period ranging from 1 to 46 months (average=17 months): 2 due to bacterial pneumonia and 04 due to AIDS-related complications. The average follow-up period for the 19 surviving patients was 33.6 months (ranging from 13 to 74 months), and only one of them (5.3%) saw the infection progress to AIDS. In summary, 5/25 (20%) saw HIV infection progress to AIDS within a maximum period of 74 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Data available up to now show no conclusive evidence of acceleration of HIV into AIDS associated with cardiac surgery.
Everson
Department of Epidemiology and Quality Control, Instituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Zeigler
R
R
Sabbaga Amato
M
M
Varejão Strabelli
T M
TM
Aranha Camargo
L F
LF
Grinberg
M
M
Domingos Jatene
A
A
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015996:Survival Rate