Abstract
Conventional management of prosthetic graft infections includes total excision of the infected graft, which is associated with a high mortality rate. However, the conventional graft excision approach is clearly not feasible in some patients with severe comorbid medical illnesses or anatomical difficulty of excision. We report 2 cases of prosthetic graft infection treated successfully with drainage and postoperative irrigation with gentian violet solution. Case 1 developed prosthetic graft infection due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) following bypass surgery (aortofemoral graft) for pseudoaneurysm at the proximal anastomosis of an iliac-femoral bypass graft. Drainage was performed and the abscess cavity around the infected graft was irrigated with 0.02% gentian violet solution. Inflammatory reactions gradually improved. Case 2: A prosthetic graft infection developed due to MRSA following double bypass surgery (aortobifemoral, and aorto-aorto graft) for abdominal aortic aneurysm. After drainage and irrigation with 0.02% gentian violet solution, he free from infection, and was discharged on the 102nd postoperative day. Drainage and irrigation with gentian violet solution can be considered an alternative to infected prosthetic graft removal in patients with poor general health.
