Improved long-term patency of infragenicular polytetrafluoroethylene grafts

This article reviews late graft patency and the incidence of postoperative complications in 75 infragenicular polytetrafluoroethylene bypass grafts (20 posterior tibial, 26 anterior tibial, and 29 peroneal). All patients received a heparin infusion after operation and were switched to warfarin before discharge to maintain coagulation parameters (prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time) approximately twice that of control subjects. Primary procedures were done in 14 patients (19%), and the remaining patients had one or more previous procedures. Ninety-seven percent of patients had limb-threatening ischemia. Graft patency was confirmed by interval examinations and Doppler ankle pressure measurements. The mean follow-up was 36 months, and long-term graft patency (4 years) was determined by life-table analysis. The 2-year cumulative patency rate for this group was 45% and the 4-year patency rate was 37%. The latter is significantly better than the patency rates of 12% reported for similar untreated randomized grafts. Anticoagulation was subtherapeutic in 15 patients at the time of graft thrombosis, and if these were excluded, the 2- and 4-year patency rates were 58% and 50%, respectively. Hematomas requiring drainage occurred in 10 patients (13.3%) and six patients (8%) developed wound infections, but graft infection occurred in only two patients. Two patients (2.6%) developed late bleeding complications necessitating cessation of the warfarin. There was one fatal perioperative myocardial infarction (1.3%) and four late deaths, none of which were related to the warfarin therapy. Although the incidence of postoperative hematoma and wound infection was increased, late complications occurred infrequently.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)