HIV induced pericarditis echocardiography and ultrasound

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Varun Kumar, M.B.B.S.; Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S.

Overview

Approximately one third of the patients with symptomatic pericardial effusion can develop cardiac tamponade.^[1]

A baseline echocardiography is indicated in HIV patients regardless of the stage of the disease, or in patients with evidence of heart failure, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and tuberculosis.^[2]

The echocardiogram below demonstrates a swinging motion of the heart in a patient with a cardiac tamponade.^[3]^[4] {{#ev:youtube|q9p0nlccOwU}}

↑ Chen Y, Brennessel D, Walters J, Johnson M, Rosner F, Raza M (1999) Human immunodeficiency virus-associated pericardial effusion: report of 40 cases and review of the literature. Am Heart J 137 (3):516-21. PMID: 10047635
↑ Lipshultz SE, Fisher SD, Lai WW, Miller TL (2003) Cardiovascular risk factors, monitoring, and therapy for HIV-infected patients. AIDS 17 Suppl 1 ():S96-122. PMID: 12870537
↑ Stotka JL, Good CB, Downer WR, Kapoor WN (1989). “Pericardial effusion and tamponade due to Kaposi’s sarcoma in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome”. Chest. 95 (6): 1359–61. PMID 2721281.
↑ Karve MM, Murali MR, Shah HM, Phelps KR (1992). “Rapid evolution of cardiac tamponade due to bacterial pericarditis in two patients with HIV-1 infection”. Chest. 101 (5): 1461–3. PMID 1582323.