Management of Aortoiliac Reconstruction Complicated by Sepsis and Hemorrhage

Abstract

SEPSIS involving a vascular prosthesis, fortunately rare, is a most serious complication of arterial surgery. Although there are clinical and experimental examples of periprosthetic sepsis that have responded favorably to drainage, debridement, irrigation and systemic antibiotics^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7} the usual outcome of such sepsis is either thrombosis of the graft or, more commonly, bleeding from one of the vascular suture lines. When a suture line is involved in the septic process leakage, resulting in free bleeding or a false aneurysm, is inevitable. Once such leakage has occurred, several authors have shown the futility of any procedure that does not include interruption of . . .