Vascular graft infections in open aortic surgery: who is at risk and how to treat? – a narrative review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Vascular graft infections are a rare and severe complication of open aortic surgery. As such, strategies to improve diagnosis and management are paramount. Nevertheless, there is little evidence regarding the factors associated with a higher susceptibility of infection. Moreover, there is little consensus on the best diagnostic workup and most adequate approaches to control and mitigate this surgical complication. We aim to summarize the latest evidence on aortic graft infection through a narrative review. METHODS: We conducted a literature search in a medical database "PubMed" and included studies on vascular graft infection and aortic repair. RESULTS: So far, patient-related comorbidities (such as diabetes, smoking, advanced age and chronic kidney disease), as well as procedure-related factors (location and type of graft, postoperative hyperglycemia, bacteremia, emergency setting), have been reported. Unlike extracavitary infections, aortic graft infections may present with subtle or no clinical manifestations. Aortoenteric fistulas are the exception to the rule, carrying a significantly higher mortality rate. All patients should be thoroughly tested with full blood counts, blood cultures and extensive imaging studies. Adequate antibiotic therapy is one of the pillars of treatment and should not be delayed. The selection of the antimicrobial regimen should be personalized and made in a multidisciplinary team. Surgical strategies are of paramount importance in controlling infection. These can be divided into graft- sparing techniques and graft explantation. The choice of the appropriate approach depends on the surgeon’s experience, the extent of disease and the patient’s general status and comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Aortic graft infections are a rare and severe complication of vascular surgery. A swift diagnosis and management are paramount. Despite significant efforts on how to treat the infection with more adequate antibiotic and surgical therapies, effective preventive measures and a clear definition of predisposing factors remain the main areas for future studies.

Keywords

• Aortic surgery
• vascular graft
• graft infection
• aortoenteric fistul