Published December, 2006

Surgical Outcomes in Human Imunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, Michael A. Horberg et al., 141 Archives of Surgery 1238 (2006)

This study analyzes the effects of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) on surgical outcomes for people living with HIV. It concludes that, HIV-positive patients can safely undergo a wide range of surgical procedures and that, in many cases, HIV status should not be a criterion when determining the need for surgery if patients have adequate viral control. While the risk of some post-operative complications is higher than seen in patients without HIV, these complications occur mostly in patients with moderately high viral loads and very low CD4 cell counts.