Sterility of intestinal transudate during aortic reconstructive procedures

Area of Science:

• Surgical Infection Prevention
• Microbiology
• Vascular Surgery

Background:

• Prosthesis infection is a significant complication in vascular surgery.
• Enteric organisms from the small intestine are potential sources of intra-abdominal infection.
• Understanding potential bacterial reservoirs is crucial for preventing surgical site infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence of enteric bacteria in small intestinal transudate.
• To determine if small intestinal fluid is a source of prosthesis infection in patients undergoing intra-abdominal arterial reconstructions.

Main Methods:

• 119 patients undergoing intra-abdominal arterial reconstruction were studied.
• Small intestinal fluid was collected into sterile bags.
• Fluid cultures were performed to identify bacterial presence, specifically enteric organisms.

Main Results:

• No enteric organisms were recovered from 119 patient cultures.
• Bacterial growth was observed in three cultures: Staphylococcus epidermidis (two cases) and S aureus (one case).
• These findings were observed with perioperative cephalothin sodium administration.

Conclusions:

• Small intestinal transudate did not harbor enteric bacteria under the study conditions.
• The small intestinal fluid is unlikely to be a source of enteric prosthesis infection in this context.
• Further research may explore the role of non-enteric organisms in prosthesis infections.