[Septical complications after ascending aorta replacement].

Between December 1972 and January 2002, 201 patients had replacement of the ascending aorta at Vilnius University Heart Surgery Clinic. 171 of them had aortic valve replacement, too, and 30 patients - without aortic valve correction. Septical complications post operation had 24 (11.94%) patients. Their age ranged from 30 to 73 years (mean 49.4 years). Most of the patients were male (87.5%) and IV functional class NYHA (70.8%) preoperatively. Main etiological factor of ascending aorta aneurysm was atherosclerosis, rare - Marfan's syndrome. Sepsis, prosthetic infective endocarditis was detected in 10 (41.7%), mediastinitis - in 9 (37.5%) and sepsis with mediastinitis - in 5 (20.8%) cases. Hospital period (< 1 month) septical complications were diagnosed in 91.7% of all cases. Total sepsis related hospital period mortality was 3.5%, late - 4.0% from all 201 operated. Septical complications were not common in patients after ascending aorta replacement. Reoperations were associated with early mortality and satisfactory long-term results. Conservative treatment was not successful.