A multi-institutional cohort study confirming the risks of Clostridium difficile infection associated with prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) have increased rapidly over the past 2 decades, particularly in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. This study sought to characterize the incidence and risks of these infections in cardiac surgery patients. METHODS: A total of 5158 patients at 10 Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network sites in the US and Canada participated in a prospective study of major infections after cardiac surgery. Patients were followed for infection, readmission, reoperation, or death up to 65 days after surgery. We compared clinical and demographic characteristics, surgical data, management practices, and outcomes for patients with CDI and without CDI. RESULTS: C difficile was the third most common infection observed (0.97%) and was more common in patients with preoperative comorbidities and complex operations. Antibiotic prophylaxis for >2 days, intensive care unit stay >2 days, and postoperative hyperglycemia were associated with increased risk of CDI. The median time to onset was 17 days; 48% of infections occurred after discharge. The additional length of stay due to infection was 12 days. The readmission and mortality rates were 3-fold and 5-fold higher, respectively, in patients with CDI compared with uninfected patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this large multicenter prospective study of major infections following cardiac surgery, CDI was encountered in nearly 1% of patients, was frequently diagnosed postdischarge, and was associated with extended length of stay and substantially increased mortality. Patients with comorbidities, longer surgery time, extended antibiotic exposure, and/or hyperglycemic episodes were at increased risk for CDI.

The use of cryopreserved aortoiliac allograft for aortic reconstruction in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Aortic infections, even with treatment, have a high mortality and risk of recurrent infection and limb loss. Cryopreserved aortoiliac allograft (CAA) has been proposed for aortic reconstruction to improve outcomes in this high-risk population. METHODS: A multicenter study using a standardized database was performed at 14 of the 20 highest volume institutions that used CAA for aortic reconstruction in the setting of infection or those at high risk for prosthetic graft infection. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty patients (mean age, 65; male:female, 1.6/1) were treated since 2002 for culture positive aortic graft infection (60%), culture negative aortic graft infection (16%), enteric fistula/erosion (15%), infected pseudoaneurysm adjacent to the aortic graft (4%), and other (4%). Intraop cultures indicated infection in 66%. Distal anastomosis was to the femoral artery and iliac. Mean hospital length of stay was 24 days, and 30-day mortality was 9%. Complications occurred in 24% and included persistent sepsis (n = 17), CAA thrombosis (n = 9), CAA rupture (n = 8), recurrent CAA/aortic infection (n = 8), CAA pseudoaneurysm (n = 6), recurrence of aortoenteric fistula (n = 4), and compartment syndrome (n = 1). Patients with full graft excision had significantly better outcomes. Ten (5%) patients required allograft explant. Mean follow-up was 30 ± 3 months. Freedom from graft-related complications, graft explant, and limb loss was 80%, 88%, and 97%, respectively, at 5 years. Primary graft patency was 97% at 5 years, and patient survival was 75% at 1 year and 51% at 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: This largest study of CAA indicates that CAA allows aortic reconstruction in the setting of infection or those at high risk for infection with lower early and long-term morbidity and mortality than other previously reported treatment options. Repair with CAA is associated with low rates of aneurysm formation, recurrent infection, aortic blowout, and limb loss. We believe that CAA should be considered a first line treatment of aortic infections.

Retrospective analysis of bovine pericardium (Vascu-Guard) for patch closure in carotid endarterectomies.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that patch closure after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) decreases the rate of recurrent stenosis. This study was designed to evaluate the utility of bovine pericardium patch as an option for patch closure after CEA. METHODS: This retrospective study examined 845 CEAs with bovine patch closure that were performed by the surgeons of Indiana-Ohio Heart, Fort Wayne, IN, between May 2003 and March 2009. The average age of the patients was 72.7 ± 10.6 years and postoperative follow-up was performed using duplex ultrasound at (ideally) 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, and annually thereafter. The average duration of follow-up for this study was 19.2 ± 16.8 months (ranging from 1 day to 72 months). All patients were evaluated for demographics and postoperative medications. Restenosis was categorized in three ways: nonsignificant (0-59% narrowing of the artery), significant (60-79%), or critical (80-99%). A total of 796 arteries were studied at least once during the postoperative period. RESULTS: None of the postoperative duplex studies revealed occlusion of the endarterectomized artery. At the mean follow-up duration, 323 endarterectomized arteries were studied. In all, 24 arteries (7.43%) had significant stenosis and only two (0.62%) had critical stenosis. These numbers compare favorably with the recurrent restenosis rates of other materials. Additionally, the effect of statins on restenosis rates was studied. We were unable to demonstrate a beneficial effect of postoperative statin therapy on restenosis rates. CONCLUSION: The use of bovine pericardium for patch closure in CEA yields excellent freedom from residual or recurrent postoperative stenosis and the use of statins postoperatively failed to reduce the likelihood of residual or recurrent stenosis.

Limb salvage with CryoVein cadaver saphenous vein allografts used for peripheral arterial bypass: role of blood compatibility.

Patients suffering from limb-threatening ischemia often have scarce or inadequate autogenous veins for complex lower limb revascularization. One option for such patients is to use conduit consisting of cadaver saphenous vein allograft (CSVA) as a final surgical option before limb amputation. This study reviewed retrospectively the patency of CryoVein CSVA allografts, processed by CryoLife, Inc., in 54 implant cases of lower extremity arterial bypass over a span of 6 years. Patient demographics, graft patency, limb salvage, and blood type matching of donor to recipient were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed postoperative primary patency rates of 89, 63%, 30%, 17%, and 9% at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively. Secondary patency rates were 89%, 74%, 63%, 63%, and 54% at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively. Limb salvage rates were 67% at 12 months and 54% at 18 months. Median follow-up was 467 days. Of the 34 cases where the patient received a blood-group compatible CSVA, 30 had limb salvage and only six of 20 noncompatible grafts offered limb salvage (p = 0.05). Although primary patency rate was poor at 1 year, high secondary patency and limb salvage rates support the use of CSVA as a peripheral bypass conduit alternative. Cases with donor-recipient ABO blood type compatibility had significantly better limb salvage.

Distal revascularization and interval ligation (DRIL) procedure for the treatment of ischemic steal syndrome after arm arteriovenous fistula.

The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the distal-revascularization-interval ligation (DRIL) technique in alleviating symptoms of ischemic steal syndrome and in preserving hemodialysis access. A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients receiving the DRIL procedure in a 3-year period. There were 38 DRIL bypass grafts identified in 35 patients, with 36 DRILs with follow-up adequate for analysis. Comparison of preoperative and postoperative digital pulse volume recording (PVR) data was made using the t-test. The majority of patients presented with multiple ischemic symptoms, most commonly coolness, pain, and paresthesias. Six patients presented with frank digital necrosis. The mean interval to DRIL was 4.9 months following fistula construction (range 0.1-24). In 66.7% of patients for whom complete follow-up data were available (24/36), all ischemic symptoms were alleviated by DRIL. Of the remaining 12 patients, 11 experienced partial symptom relief. One patient required digital amputation following DRIL. A comparison of pre- and post-DRIL PVRs illustrated a significant increase in these values following DRIL (P < 0.05). DRIL effectively eliminates ischemic symptoms in the majority of patients and produces a significant increase in flow to the ischemic limb. The data support the usage of DRIL as the procedure of choice in the correction of ischemic steal following arm arteriovenous fistula.

Long-term follow-up of hearttransplant recipients with pre-transplant malignancies.

A pre-existing malignancy has disqualified patients from solid organ transplantation because of concerns regarding recurrence. We reviewed pre-transplant characteristics and long-term results in patients who underwent heart transplantation with a pre-existing malignancy, because there has been no prior study of these patients in the long term. All 214 patients who underwent heart transplantation from July 1985 through June 2004 were studied retrospectively Thirteen of these patients had been treated for a malignancy before transplantation. Pre-transplant characteristics (age, sex, diabetes, and weight) and post-transplant outcomes (rejection, infection, and survival) were compared for the 2 groups. The patients with pre-existing malignancies were younger (47 vs 54 years, P=0.014), less heavy (73 vs 79 kg, P=0.017), and more likely to be female (54% vs 22%, P=0.010), compared with recipients without a pre-malignancy. Pulmonary vascular resistances, histories of tobacco use, and incidence of pre-transplant diabetes were not different between the 2 groups. The mean duration of follow-up for the 2 groups was similar (2,760 days for the pre-malignancy group vs 2,215 days for the non-pre-malignancy group, P=NS). Episodes of treated rejection and infection for the pre-malignancy group vs the non-pre-malignancy group were similar (1.8 episodes of rejection vs 1.6 episodes, P=NS); and (1. 7 episodes of infection vs 0.8 episodes, P=0.098). None of the pre-malignancy patients had recurrence of their original cancer, and long-term survival for the 2 groups was essentially identical (63% vs 62% at 10 years, P=NS). The dissemination of reports such as these may enable more patients with cured malignancies to benefit from transplantation.

Partial excision of infected fistula results in increased patency at the cost of increased risk of recurrent infection.

Reliable vascular access is often an issue of ongoing frustration for those requiring dialysis. Synthetic arteriovenous fistulae (SAVF) have been widely used to provide vascular access; however, the risk of infection at the SAVF site is significant, especially because the SAVF is potentially exposed to pathogens on a regular basis due to the cannulation required for dialysis. Between 11 and 35% of all SAVF become infected and require surgical removal. The purpose of this investigation was to: (1) compare the risk of recurrent infection with complete versus partial excision of the infected SAVF (ISAVF) and (2) explore the risks and benefits of attempting to preserve patency of noninfected portions of ISAVF. In a retrospective review to determine the risk of recurrent infection after removal of ISAVF, charts of 77 patients undergoing surgery for the removal of an ISAVF from the arm were identified with 84 instances of excision of an ISAVF. Of the 84 ISAVF, 26 (31 %) were treated with complete excision (CE), 30 (35.7%) grafts were partially excised with blood flow restoration through a new interposed PTFE segment (PERF), and 28 (33.3%) grafts were partially excised with no flow restoration (PENF), leaving portions that were not grossly infected. Fourteen of 30 (46.7%) PERF grafts, 4/28 (14.3%) PENF, and 0/26 CE grafts developed further infection at the excision site. These differences were significant when comparing PERF to CE (p < 0.001) and PERF to PENF (p < 0.025), but no significance was found when comparing CE to PENF. Patency was significantly greater for the PERF group at 1 and 2 years than for both CE (p < 0.001) and PENF (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the data suggest that restoring blood flow to the remainder of a partially excised ISAVF significantly increases patency without necessitating catherer placement and a new hemoaccess site, but at the cost of significantly increased risk of recurrent infection.