Surgical Repair of Abdominal Aorto-Iliac Prosthetic Graft Infections: A Nationwide Japanese Cohort Study

Prosthetic graft infection (PGI) after open abdominal aortic and iliac artery reconstruction is life threatening. However, because it is rare and frequently difficult to diagnose, robust evidence on its treatment and optimal management strategies are lacking. This study aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics and surgical treatment outcomes of this condition and to identify pre-operative and operative factors affecting its prognosis.

This was a nationwide cohort study. Using a nationwide clinical registry system, patients who were treated surgically for PGI after open abdominal aortic and iliac artery reconstruction between 2011 and 2017 were investigated, and their profiles and clinical courses were analysed. The relationships between the pre-operative and operative factors and the post-operative outcomes, including death and persistent or recurrent graft related infection, were evaluated.

The study included 213 patients. The median duration between the index arterial reconstruction and surgical treatment for PGI was 644 days. Fistula development to the gastrointestinal tract was confirmed during surgery in 53.1% of patients. The cumulative overall survival rates at 30 and 90 days, one, three, and five years were 87.3%, 74.8%, 62.2%, 54.5%, and 48.1%, respectively. Pre-operative shock was the only factor independently associated with 90 day and three year death. Short term and late mortality rates, as well as the rate of persistent or recurrent graft related infection, did not differ significantly between patients treated with total removal of the infected graft and those treated with partial removal of the graft.

Surgery for PGI after open reconstruction of the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries is complex, and the post-operative mortality rate remains high. Partial removal of the infected graft may be an alternative in selected patients with limited extent of infection.