Surgical Treatment of Native and Prosthetic Aortic Infection With Xenopericardial Tube Grafts.

Background: The study sought to report our results of surgical treatment of native and prosthetic aortic infection with xenopericardial tube grafts from the ascending aorta to beyond the bifurcation.

Methods: Within a 28-month period, 20 patients were treated with a bovine self-made pericardial tube graft to replace infected vascular grafts (after conventional surgical aortic replacement or endovascular stent graft implantation) or to treat a contaminated surgical site. An integrated standardized therapeutic concept was applied in all patients, consisting of complete removal of the infected prosthetic material, extensive debridement, and orthotopic vascular reconstruction with self-made tube grafts constructed from a bovine pericardial patch.

Results: Four patients died perioperatively (20%) due to sepsis, pulmonary failure, or sudden circulatory arrest. The mean follow-up was 18 months (first quartile 2, third quartile 17 months). Interval computed tomography scans revealed 100% freedom from proven aortic reinfection, but reinfection cannot be ruled out in 4 patients who died of unknown causes during follow-up or because of ongoing sepsis. Three patients required aortic reintervention for a suture-line aneurysm, for graft occlusion, and for the development of a neoaortointestinal fistulation, respectively.

Conclusions: Patients with infectious aortic disease present in a frail state and the initial and the late mortality is substantial. Yet, surgical treatment of native and prosthetic aortic infection with xenopericardial tube grafts shows promising short-term results with regard to durability and freedom from reinfection in any aortic segment. Further studies are needed to learn of the long-term behavior of these grafts.