Purpose: The standard treatment for secondary aortoenteric fistula (SAEF) has been infected graft removal (IGR) and extraanatomic bypass (EAB), an approach criticized for its high rate of death, amputation, and disruption of aortic closure. Recently, graft excision and in situ graft replacement has been proposed as a safer treatment alternative. Because the current outcome that can be achieved by use of the standard treatment of SAEF has really not been established, we reviewed the records of 33 patients treated for SAEF at our institution during a contemporary time interval (1980 to 1992). Methods: Thirteen patients (39.4%) were admitted with evidence of gastrointestinal bleeding and infection, whereas nine (27.3%) only had bleeding, 10 (30.3%) only had signs of infection, and one SAEE was entirely occult (graft thrombosis). Pour patients required emergency operation. The fistula type was anastomotic in 13 (39.4%) patients, paraprosthetic in 15 (45.5%), and not specified in 4 cases. Thirty-two patients underwent EAB followed immediately by IGR (n = 16, 48.5%) or followed by IGR after a short interval, averaging 3.9 days (n = 16, 48.5%). The final patient underwent IGR, followed by EAB. Results: Follow-up on 31 patients (93.9%) averaged 4,4 +/- 3.7 years. There were nine deaths (27.3%) resulting from the SAEF, six perioperative and three late. Three patients (9.1%) had disrupted aortic closure. There were four amputations in three patients (9.1%), two perioperative and two late. Late EAB infection occurred in five patients (15.2%), leading to one death and one amputation. EAB failure occurred in six patients, two during operation and four late, leading to one amputation. The cumulative cure rate for this SAEF group was 70% at 3 years and thereafter. Compared with our earlier SAEF experience, this is a decline of 21% in the mortality rate, 19% in aortic disruption, and 27% in limb loss. Conclusions: We conclude that outcome reports based on SAEF series extending over long time intervals do not accurately represent the results that are currently achieved with standard SAEF treatment with use of EAB plus IGR. This improved outcome is attributed to wide debridement of infected tissue beds, reduced intervals of lower body ischemia, and advances in perioperative management. To determine whether any new treatment approach actually offers improved outcome in the management of SAEF, comparison with EAB plus IGR should be limited to patients treated within the last decade at most.
