Using patient's tissue to repair surgery

DALLAS, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers are effectively using the body's own veins to repair infected aortic grafts.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas pioneered the new technique -- called the neo-aortoiliac system to treat the very serious complication that occurs in about 1 percent to 2 percent of patients undergoing aortic grafting procedures using a polyester material to restore blood circulation in patients with an aortic aneurysm or peripheral arterial disease.

The study, published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, finds neo-aortoiliac system more durable and less prone to new infection than similar procedures using synthetic or cadaver grafts. Not only does using the patient's own tissue greatly reduce the re-infection rate but blood clots and blockages are also less likely.

Study leader Dr. G. Patrick Clagett and colleagues reported on 187 patients treated for aortic graft infections who underwent the neo-aortoiliac system procedure from 1990-2006.

"This operation has gained favor worldwide in the treatment of this devastating condition," Clagett says in a statement. "Since performing the first operation here in the 1990s, we have accumulated data over the years and have found this procedure to be far superior in overall patient outcomes."