Faculty Bibliography

Management of infected prosthetic arterial grafts has traditionally included total graft excision especially when gram-negative bacteria were cultured. Between 1973 and 1991 we treated 42 patients with infected prosthetic grafts (33 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), 9 Dacron) by complete graft preservation when the graft was patent, the anastomoses were intact, and the patient did not have sepsis. The infection involved the anastomosis (36 cases) or the body (6 cases) of 33 peripheral grafts and the distal segment of five aortofemoral and four iliac-distal grafts. Cultures of the 42 infected grafts grew gram-positive bacteria in 33 cases and gram-negative bacteria in 22 cases. Treatment adjuncts included repeated, radical operative wound debridement and rarely (7 of 42) rotational muscle flaps. This management resulted in a 10% (4 of 42) hospital mortality rate and an amputation rate in survivors of 3% (1 of 38 threatened limbs). All four deaths were due to sepsis: gram-positive bacteria were cultured in all cases and gram-negative bacteria in two cases. Of the 38 survivors, 29 (76%) wounds healed and remained healed after average follow-up of 3 years (range, 1 to 18 years). Nine other patients required total graft excision for nonhealing wounds (7 cases) or delayed anastomotic hemorrhage (2 cases). Gram-negative bacteria were cultured in four, and gram-positive bacteria were cultured in six of these nine wounds. Four of nine (44%) graft infections that cultured Pseudomonas organisms healed without complications versus 23 of 33 (70%) wounds that cultured gram-positive bacteria, and 12 of 13 (92%) wounds that cultured gram-negative bacteria other than Pseudomonas organisms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Injury from oxygen free radicals has been suggested to be of greater significance in the preservation of small intestine than of other organs. To determine if using the free radical scavenger, superoxide dismutase (SOD), with University of Wisconsin (UW) solution would improve preservation of small intestine, acute and chronic studies were conducted. Thirty-centimeter segments of small intestine from Lewis rats were flushed with and stored in Collins, UW, or SOD-modified (8000 U/ml) UW solution at 4 degrees C for 18 hr. For the acute study, small intestine segments were subsequently reperfused using support rats. The support rats in the UW/SOD group also received SOD (1750 U, iv) at the onset of reperfusion of small intestine. After 2 hr of reperfusion, maltose absorption and weight gain of small intestine were determined. For the chronic study, small intestine segments were transplanted as isografts. SOD (1750 U, iv) was also given to recipients prior to reperfusion of grafts in the UW/SOD group. Long-term effects were determined by recipient survival for at least 17 days. Results showed the small intestine in the UW/SOD group had the best recovery of mucosal absorption (256 +/- 39 versus 202 +/- 21 in the Collins group, P less than 0.01), the least percentage weight gain (19 +/- 3% versus 25 +/- 5% in the UW group and 38 +/- 5% in the Collins group, P less than 0.01), and the best 17-day survival rate (9/12 versus 2/9 in the UW group, P less than 0.025, and 0/8 in the Collins group, P less than 0.01) among the three groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The role of limb salvage surgery in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) is controversial. In view of this debate, we reviewed our experience with 54 primary and 15 secondary revascularizations for limb salvage in patients with ESRD over the past decade. Thirty-seven patients required dialysis and 10 had functioning renal transplants. Severe limb threatening ischemia was the indication for all revascularizations. The 2-year cumulative secondary graft patency rate was 56.2% with an associated limb salvage rate of 71.4%. There was no significant difference in graft patency or limb salvage rates between patients requiring dialysis and those with functioning renal allografts (p = 0.5). The 30-day operative mortality for the 99 surgical procedures (69 arterial bypasses and 30 additional operations) was 13% and the 2-year patient survival was 45.6%. Six of the 15 amputations were performed despite a patent graft on limbs which had extensive infection and gangrene. We conclude that limb salvage surgery should only be undertaken with recognition of these risks in patients with ESRD or functioning renal transplants. Surgery should be performed before gangrene and infection become extensive. Patients with unrelenting infection or mid-forefoot gangrene should be considered for primary amputation

Atherosclerotic occlusion of the entire infrarenal abdominal aorta can produce gangrene, rest pain or claudication and can progress to involve the renal artery origins. Features of the operative technique for treating these juxtarenal aortic occlusions include self-retaining retraction, mobilization of the left renal vein with division of all non-renal branches, exposure of the suprarenal aorta and renal arteries by division between clamps of the surrounding paraaortic fibroareolar tissue and fat, sharp division of crural attachments to the aorta, control of the two renal arteries with doubled vessel loops and then direct vertical clamping of the suprarenal aorta. Through an arteriotomy below the renal arteries, 2-4 cm of pararenal aorta are cleared of thrombus and atherosclerotic debris under direct vision. After transfer of the suprarenal clamp to an infrarenal position, conventional aortobifemoral bypass is then performed. In a series of 18 patients with juxtarenal aortic occlusion managed by this technique, suprarenal clamp time ranged from 4 to 25 minutes (mean, 13 minutes). There was no morbidity from renal failure or emboli and no mortality. This technique allows for deliberate, careful disobliteration of the pararenal and infrarenal aorta and minimizes the risk of renal embolization