Xenoinjertos y bioprótesis para infecciones aórticas Translated title: Xenografts and bioprostheses for the management of aortic infections

To report the experience of a tertiary vascular surgery center using Omniflow II® biosynthetic vascular grafts for treatment of prosthetic aortic graft infection.

We compared association of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis with nine vascular implants after co-culture. Vascular implants were composed of various materials such as warp knitted polyester (with or without gelatin and silver ions), expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and biological materials - surface treated porcine pericardial patch and Omniflow II. The lowest overall number of associated bacteria was detected for polytetrafluoroethylene implants and porcine pericardial patch. The highest overall number of associated bacteria was detected for Omniflow II implant. The major source of variation, i.e. primary factor influencing colonization, is the implant type (56.22%), bacterial species is responsible for only 1.81%, and interaction of those two factors - 13.09% of variation.

Infection of prosthetic aortic grafts represents a serious complication with high morbidity and mortality. Replacement with autologous material is recommended; however, in its absence, biological material should be favored. In the present retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the short- and midterm results with the use of commercially available prefabricated bovine pericardium grafts (BPGs) used for the management of aortic graft infection or aortic reconstructive surgery in the presence of systemic infection.