Description

Vascular infections are rare but severe, burdened by high morbi-mortality and recurrence rates. However, many questions remain regarding their management which is still not consensual, both surgical and medical management. The term "vascular infections" encompasses vascular graft and endograft infections, as well as infections of native arteries and the aorta. For vascular graft infections, the optimal surgery is to remove the infected graft before vascular reconstruction with a new graft, either synthetic or biologic. However, some patients are too fragile to undergo surgery and might then benefit from an endovascular graft, an abscess drainage or no surgery at all, only medical treatment. For native arterial infections, surgery is often required to remove the infected arterial wall before vascular reconstruction. However, some patients cannot be operated on and might also benefit from an endovascular surgery. In these two vascular infections, the ideal anti-microbial treatment is uncertain, whether it pertains to the duration of therapy, the type of molecules, or their number. All of these medical and surgical factors may impact the prognosis of patients and should be collectively assessed in order to determine the best strategy for enhancing their outcomes.