ABSTRACT
Management of patients with infected prosthetic aortic grafts is one of the most difficult challenges faced by the vascular surgeon. Patients often present with non-specific symptoms and confirmation of the diagnosis of an aortic graft infection can be difficult. Delay in treatment of an infected aortic graft, however, can lead to life-threatening sepsis and/or haemorrhage. Patients with infected aortic grafts are also elderly and have multiple medical problems so that sepsis, haemorrhage and major surgical reconstructive procedures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the infected aortic graft is in the most favourable anatomical position for revascularisation, making maintenance of adequate lower extremity perfusion after graft removal difficult. Because of all of these factors, elimination of the infection, preservation of limb perfusion and long term survival are achieved in at most 70-80 per cent of patients presenting with prosthetic aortic graft infection.
