New trends in prosthesis infection in cardiovascular surgery.
BACKGROUND
Adult cardiovascular surgery entails, in many cases, the use of some kind of prosthesis. Among the potential complications, prosthetic device infection is one of the most devastating in incidence, as well as in prognosis and damage to surrounding tissues.


RESULTS
The most common bacterial agents in vascular and cardiac prosthetic device infections are Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis among gram-positive bacteria and Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa among gram-negative bacteria.


CONCLUSIONS
The alternative modalities of treatment for prosthetic device infection encompass partial or total explantation of the prosthesis and its replacement with an infection-resistant graft (e.g., homologous tissue, autologous tissue, or synthetic prosthesis bonded with antibiotics).
Castelli
Patrizio
P
Department of Surgical Sciences, Division of Vascular Surgery and Research Centre for the Study and Application of New Technologies in Vascular Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. patrizio.castelli@uninsubria.it
Caronno
Roberto
R
Ferrarese
Sandro
S
Mantovani
Vittorio
V
Piffaretti
Gabriele
G
Tozzi
Matteo
M
Lomazzi
Chiara
C
Rivolta
Nicola
N
Sala
Andrea
A
D000328:Adult; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013504:Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000145:classification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000145:classification; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*