[Bypass grafting in patients with infected vascular grafts]

Analysed herein are the results of treating a total of 17 patients presenting with pathology of the aorta and lower-limb arteries, who from 2010 to 2018 required redo interventions due to infection of a previously implanted synthetic vascular graft. At admission, 3 patients were diagnosed as having an open infected wound, 11 were found to have a fistula, 2 had a false aneurysm in the area of the distal anastomosis of the branch of the bifurcation aortofemoral prosthesis, and 1 had thrombosis of the branch of the prosthesis with evidence of infection. As redo surgery, 4 patients underwent subclavian-femoral bypass grafting, 2 were subjected to crossover iliac-femoral bypass grafting, 8 to unilateral iliac-femoral bypass grafting, 3 to loop endarterectomy. In the majority of cases (14 of the 17) we used bypass grafting with creation of the tunnel through the muscular lacuna. Lethal outcomes were registered in 35% (n=6) of cases in the early postoperative period. Death was caused by acute renal failure in 6% (n=1), by acute mesenteric thrombosis in 12% (n=2), by gastrointestinal haemorrhage in 6% (n=1), and by multiple organ failure in 12% (n=2). Long-term mortality amounted to 33% (n=3) within 12 months. The main causes of death were increasing renal failure in 10% (n=1) and cardiovascular insufficiency on the background of heart diseases in 10% (n=1), as well as respiratory insufficiency in 10% (n=1). Reinfection in the remote period was diagnosed in 1 patient. A conclusion was drawn that bypass grafting is traumatic, however, it may be the only way to save the limb or patient's life in a complicated clinical situation. Using the superficial femoral vein as a shunt demonstrated good long-term results as to patency and resistance to surgical infection. Using a flap of the greater omentum, retroperitoneal fat, as well as wrapping of the prosthesis with a muscular flap ensured good tolerance of the zone of bypass grafting to reinfection.