ETIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS OF PNEUMOTHORAX IN AIDS PATIENTS

Pneumothoraces in patients with AIDS are a rare, acute and severe comp lication. Between January 1989 and December 1991 3 patients with spont aneous pneumothorax were operated after a 2-week treatment with chest tube drainage only had failed. The average follow-up time after the op eration was 7 months. There was no recurrence. Within the same 3 years 3 patients were treated in the Clinic for Internal Medicine by means of tube drainage only. Thus, only one case was successful. The average survival after receiving the tube was 3 weeks. Their death was not re lated on their pneumothorax. The mean age of the 6 patients was 34 yea rs (23-49). In 5 patients the pneumothorax was associated with Pneumoc ystis carinii-pneumonia and in 3 of them also with prophylactic pentam idine aerosol therapy. A minimal invasive operation of operable AIDS-p atients with pneumothorax shows good results, shortens the time of the rapy and is possible despite the bad prognosis of the disease.