Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40439162›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery2025

Outcomes of conservative treatment for thoracic vascular graft infections.

Mathias Van Hemelrijck, Juri Sromicki, Petar Risteski, Rasha Boulos, Ronny R Buechel, Michelle Frank, Barbara Hasse, Héctor Rodríguez Cetina Biefer, Omer Dzemali, VASGRA Cohort

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In one paragraph

Article in European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Mathias Van HemelrijckDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-0191-757X
Juri SromickiDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-9964-7733
Petar RisteskiDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-6979-5057
Rasha BoulosDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Ronny R BuechelDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cardiac Imaging, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-8064-8904
Michelle FrankDepartment of Cardiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Barbara HasseDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7196-3734
Héctor Rodríguez Cetina BieferDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5855-8993
Omer DzemaliDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7910-5152
VASGRA Cohort

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation #32003B_219351/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThoracic vascular graft infections are devastating complications after aortic surgery, entailing high mortality. The gold standard treatment combines excisional surgery and antimicrobial therapy, but patients deemed inoperable might benefit from a conservative approach. Outcomes of patients treated only with antimicrobial agents without reoperative surgery are scanty. We aim to describe patients' characteristics and outcomes using an antibiotic-only strategy without thorough debridement.

methodsRetrospectively collected data from a prospective cohort in a tertiary centre. Descriptive analysis for baseline characteristics and Kaplan-Meier estimates for survival were performed.

resultsFrom November 2012 to December 2022, 66 patients were identified with aortic root, ascending aortic and aortic arch graft infections. Of these, 44 received an antibiotic-only strategy or in combination with selective debridement after achieving multidisciplinary consensus. Median follow-up was 4.8 years [interquartile range (IQR) 1.7-6.1], and cumulative survival was 82.9% (CI 95%, 69.7-96.1). Streptococcus spp were the most common isolated microorganisms.

conclusionsIn selected cases, a conservative approach with antibiotics only or in combination with selective debridement showed acceptable results at follow-up, suggesting a valuable therapy option for this cohort of patients.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsAorta, ThoracicBlood Vessel ProsthesisBlood Vessel Prosthesis ImplantationConservative TreatmentProsthesis-Related InfectionsAgedDebridementFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntimicrobial treatmentEndocarditis teamThoracic vascular graft infection

Identifiers

PMID40439162
PMCPMC12148214

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.