Vascular graft infections

Abstract

Vascular graft infections are rare complications after surgical and endovascular treatment of aortic diseases. This condition is characterized by complexity in diagnosis and medico-surgical management. Moreover, even if properly treated, morbidity and mortality rates are high. Although several advances have been made over the years and guidelines of treatment have been published, there is still debate on the optimal care for this disease. With local microbiological patterns and multiresistant strains conditioning antimicrobial treatment as well as several surgical debridement techniques in the armamentarium, it is difficult to offer recommendations that can be generalized for every single case. In this review, we aim at describing thoracic and abdominal vascular graft infections and providing current information on diagnosis, medical treatment, and surgical management.

Keywords

Vascular graft infection / infected prosthesis / cardiovascular surgery / infectious diseases / antimicrobial treatment

References

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