Bacteremic Infectability of Vascular Grafts: An Experimental Study:

The present study was undertaken with the aim of defining the differences, if any, in bacteremic infectability of some currently available arterial grafts.The following prostheses were investigated:• two kinds of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)• Dacron knitted double velour• Dacron knitted pretreated with gelatinForty beagle dogs were used . In each animal the infrarenal aorta was resected and replaced by means of ϕ.6 mm segment of:• PTFE type I 10 dogs• PTFE type II 10 dogs• Dacron knitted double velour 10 dogs• Dacron knitted pretreated with gelatin 10 dogsAt the end of the operation, each animal was administered IV with 100 mL of normal saline containing a suspension of Staphylococcus aureus coagulase-posi tive phage type 5504. The bacterial load was 105in 5 animals of each group, 107in the remaining 5.The graft was retrieved after forty-five days and studied in the microbiology laboratory (study of graft homogenate) and in the pathology laboratory (study by conventional microscopy of graft hea...