Autor:innen:
Dr. med. Christopher Burghuber | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Prof. Dr. Markus Klinger | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Neumayer | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Prof. Dr. Bernd Gollackner | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Prof. Dr. Harald Teufelsbauer | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Dr. Wolf Eilenberg | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Prof. Dr. Josif Nanobachvili | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Prof. Dr. Christoph Domenig | Medizinische Universität Wien | Austria
Objective:
Infection of synthetic aortic grafts represents a serious complication and portends a high morbidity and mortality. Replacement with biological material has been proven to be the best treatment. We evaluated short and mid-term results with the use of commercially available prefabricated aortic bovine pericardium grafts (BPGs). Patients were treated for graft infection or high risk of prosthesis infection due to the presence of systemic infection.
Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of cases in which BPGs were used for aortic reconstruction. Graft infection was diagnosed by clinical findings, laboratory tests, blood cultures and radiology findings (CT angiography or PET-CT). High risk of potential graft infection was defined as either concurrent sepsis or proven septic focus without promise of eradication. BPGs were preferred to other biological reconstruction techniques performed at our center (deep femoral vein graft, saphenous vein spiral graft, aortic homograft) due to the attainable shorter operation time and the less traumatic approach. No-React™BioIntegral vascular grafts are made of bovine pericardium cross-linked with low concentration of glutaraldehyde and subsequently freed from remnants by repeated rinsing. The tube has 3 layers of suturing that allow shortening as desired. Comorbidities, procedure related details, postoperative mortality and clinical course were assessed and analyzed.
Results: From 2014 – 2018, 10 patients received a BPG. Median follow-up was 425 days (range 14 - 982). Median age was 60.5 years [IQR 53-74], patients were predominantly male (70%), median body mass index was 24.8 kg/m2 [IQR 21.6-27.0]. Major comorbidities featured arterial hypertension, peripheral artery disease, nicotine abuse, cerebrovascular and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Indications for surgery were management of graft infection in 50% (4 vascular grafts, 1 stentgraft) and aortic reconstruction in the presence of systemic infection in 50% (2 florid erysipelas, 2 infected ulcers, one retroperitoneal urinoma due to fornix rupture in inflammatory aneurysm), in two patients aortoenteric fistula was found. Surgery was technically successful in all patients. The amount of blood recirculated via cell saver was median 621ml (IQR 180-790), red blood cell pack use was 2 (IQR 1-4.5). Patients stayed on ICU for 2.5 days (IQR1-16). Microbial cultures revealed pseudomonas aeruginosa and candida. Thirty-day mortality was 10%, one septic rupture of proximal anastomosis. One-year overall-survival was 77.1%. One patient died 6 months later (unknown cause) and one succumbed to malignoma around two years after surgery.
Conclusion:
Our data support that in addition to autologous repair a prefabricated bovine graft represents an excellent conduit for the management of aortic graft infections and aortic reconstruction in the presence of systemic infection.