Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2016 Oct;49(5):387-391. 10.5090/kjtcs.2016.49.5.387.

Vanishing Venous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts after Sepsis

• Park SJ
• Park JY
• Jung J
• Hong YS
• Lee CJ
• Lim SH

• KMID: 2354375
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5090/kjtcs.2016.49.5.387

Abstract

The dehiscence of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) is a rare, often fatal, complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We present the case of a 57-year-old man who underwent hemiarch graft interposition and CABG for a Stanford type A aortic dissection. Five months after discharge, the patient developed streptococcal sepsis caused by a hemodialysis catheter. Complete rupture of the proximal anastomoses of the saphenous veins and containment by the obliterated pericardial cavity was observed 25 months after the initial operation. The patient was successfully treated surgically. This report describes a patient who developed potentially fatal dehiscence of SVGs secondary to infection and outlines preventive and management strategies for this complication.

Keyword

Saphenous vein graft; Infection; Graft rupture

MeSH Terms

Catheters
Containment of Biohazards
Coronary Artery Bypass*
Coronary Vessels*
Humans
Middle Aged
Pericardium
Renal Dialysis
Rupture
Saphenous Vein
Sepsis*
Transplants