Postoperative Bleeding in a HIV-Positive Patient Operated for Oral Cancer: A Case Report

Human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) is transmitted sexually, through blood transfusions, sharing intravenous needles, and from the mother to a child during the birth process and breastfeeding. Most of the patients diagnosed with HIV develop AIDS within ten years if left untreated. HIV infected patients have a higher risk of complications than those who are not having the disease. Surgical site infections and pneumonia are the most common short term postoperative complications in patients suffering from this disease. The use of antiretroviral therapy against HIV infection can result in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease by changing the profile of lipids and platelet aggregation. HIV associated thrombocytopenia can also cause bleeding. Here we present a case of a 47 year old patient who was operated for oral cancer and developed postoperative bleeding as a complication apart from postoperative infection. There was no thrombocytopenia in our patient, but anemia occurred due to blood loss. There was also substantial increase in TLC count when he developed infection.