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Coronary Heart Disease

Contraindications to thrombolytic therapy in HIV-infected patients with acute coro­nary syndrome include acute pericarditis, infective endocarditis, active cavitating pulmonary tuberculosis, and thrombocy­topenia.

Primary percutaneous translumi­nal coronary angioplasty, if feasible, seems the most appropriate treatment in some HIV-infected patients [8]. In patients pre­senting with unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction without specific ther­apeutic contraindications, the best approach may be medical therapy (i.v. nitroglycerin, aspirin, low-molecular-weight heparin, IIb/IIIa platelet inhibitor, beta­blockers). Patients with unstable angina at high risk (recent severe angina, elevated cTnI, ischemic ECG changes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, active smok­ers) or with myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation should undergo coro­nary angiography to define their anatomy and optimize treatment to prevent ischemic injury and sudden death. Cardiac revascu­larization has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of HIV-infected patients with coronary artery disease [9]. Indeed, the extraordinary fruits of a massive research effort have made it reasonable to perform elective surgery and to offer major surgery to patients independent of their immuno­logic status; additionally, the concern that the surgical team would be exposed to a sig­nificant risk of acquiring HIV infection dur­ing surgery has proved to be unfounded. Cardiac surgeons should have a heightened awareness for the possibility of successful surgical treatment of HIV-infected patients with a definitive clinical diagnosis of coro­nary artery disease [9].

Fig. 6 Wide-QRS complex supraventricular tachycardia in HIV-infected patients with echocardiographic diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction: 30%) and diagnosis of myocardi­tis confirmed by histological examination of endomyocardial biopsy specimens

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Source: Barbaro Giuseppe, Boccara Franc (eds.). Cardiovascular Disease in AIDS. 2nd edition. — Springer,2009. — 169 p.. 2009
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More on the topic Coronary Heart Disease:

  1. Coronary Heart Disease
  2. Ischemic Heart Disease
  3. Valvular Heart Disease
  4. CMR of Myocardial Infarction
  5. Barbaro Giuseppe, Boccara Franc (eds.). Cardiovascular Disease in AIDS. 2nd edition. — Springer,2009. — 169 p., 2009
  6. CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE
  7. The various cardiovascular diseases observed in HIV-infected patients and wide­ly described in the literature have been pre­dominantly coronary and peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) and remain poorly known.
  8. Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
  9. Coronary Artery Lesions
  10. Macrovascular Complications of Diabetes Mellitus