The effect of distal sepsis on arterial grafts: An experimental study

Summary

Prosthetic infection following recon-structive vascular operations is an infrequent but often fatal complication which generally persists until the graft is removed. It is accepted that infection arises from operative contamination, bacteraemic seeding or an abscess or a viscus eroding into the graft. This study investigates the role played by distal limb sepsis on arterial grafts placed in the groin of experimental animals.

Ten dogs had a specific strain of staphylococcus aureus inoculated onto a surgical wound in the right foot pad. Five days later interposition 6 mm Dacron grafts were implanted into the insilateral and contralateral groin in continuity with the superficial femoral artery. Ten days following this the grafts were removed for bacteriological and histological examinations. Blood cultures and lympnode cultures were also taken at this time.

In seven dogs the specific staph. aureus was recovered from the graft on the side of distal sepsis. In one dog the staph. aureus was grown from both grafts. Three dogs failed to grow the specific staph. aureus from either graft. These results are significant at 1% level using Fischer’s exact test.

Blood cultures grew staph. aureus from only one dog. Lymphnode cultures yielded the specific staph. aureus in seven dogs.