Human immunodeficiency disease: how should it affect surgical decision making?

Area of Science:

• Surgical Outcomes
• Infectious Diseases
• Immunocompromised Patients

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and improved management necessitates surgical interventions for infected patients.
• Assessing the impact of HIV status on surgical decision-making is crucial for optimizing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current literature on the influence of HIV status on surgical decision-making.
• To evaluate surgical outcomes in HIV-infected versus non-infected individuals.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of MEDLINE articles using keywords: "human immunodeficiency virus," "HIV," "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome," "AIDS," and "HIV and surgery."
• Manual search of relevant surgical journals and bibliographic compilation of cross-references from published papers.

Main Results:

• Surgical outcomes (morbidity, mortality, hospital stay) vary between HIV-infected and non-infected patients but are comparable to other immunocompromised individuals.
• Co-morbidities and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) must be considered in surgical optimization.
• Palliative and diagnostic surgery can improve quality of life and aid medical management in advanced HIV disease.

Conclusions:

• HIV infection is not an independent risk factor for major surgical procedures.
• Appropriate surgical interventions should be offered to HIV-infected patients without hesitation, ensuring outcomes comparable to the general surgical population.