The surgical treatment of aortic infections is extremely challenging for vascular surgeons. While revascularizations can be performed in situ or using extra-anatomic techniques with various materials (autologous deep veins, cryopreserved homografts, silver- or rifampicin-impregnated Dacron, etc.), these surgeries carry serious risks for the patient. One of the major challenges is the availability of suitable substitute materials, especially regarding in situ aortic reconstructions, which is the preferred modality if possible and when the degree of infection allows it.

Recently, experiences with the use of xenografts (bovine pericardial tubes or biosynthetic grafts like Omniflow) have been published (¹-³). In fact, they have been used by some surgical groups in our country with satisfactory results. In particular, the high infection resistance surrounding bovine pericardium along with its high patency and low re-intervention rates make it a good substitute material, although its application requires a second surgical team dedicated to the tubular preparation of the material.

A different alternative, in the case of arterial branch revascularization, is the use of the Omniflow graft that consists of a collagen matrix mounted on a polyester mesh. Although this material has also been proposed for contaminated areas, its in vitro bacterial resistance is no stranger to colonizations (⁴) even though it has shown good infection resistance.

This technical note illustrates the design of a bifurcated prosthesis with two Omniflow grafts for aortoiliac sector placement and is accompanied by some images to aid in its design (Figs. 1 -5), yet solid long-term results are still needed before recommending its general use.

Figure 1. 

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Figure 5.