Contained rupture of infected abdominal aortic aneurysm due to systemic candidiasis

A case is reported of contained rupture of an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm as a result of vascular catheter-associated candidiasis. Candida was identified in the mural thrombus taken from the aneurysm during surgery. Since Candida has played an important role in nosocomial infection and catheter-associated sepsis during the past decade, it is becoming an increasingly significant pathogen in microbial arteritis. Successful treatment included axillobifemoral bypass grafting followed by a complete excision of the infected aneurysm, retroperitoneal drainage and long-term antifungal therapy. Although infected abdominal aortic aneurysm is not common, without surgical intervention it may lead to serious consequences, such as rupture or uncontrollable sepsis. As the clinical symptoms of this disease are minimal and non-specific during the early stages, a high index of suspicion for this condition is essential for precise diagnosis and successful treatment. Moreover, initial treatment of candidiasis is especially important to prevent this rare but fatal late complication, infected abdominal aortic aneurysm.