"Early Failures" in Arterial Reconstruction

Arterial reconstructive procedures may fail in the early postoperative period because of thrombosis. This complication is reported to occur in 4% to 29% of patients who undergo reconstruction of their aortoiliac or femoral arteries.1,2,4-6A careful evaluation of these reports and personal observation indicate that the thrombosis usually occurs within a few hours following the operation. There are scattered reports suggesting that the immediate exploration of the arterial system of these patients is indicated.2,6This report records the successful operative management of 11 of 12 patients who had failure of their arterial reconstructive procedures within 24 hours of operation. Material All of the 12 patients presented had initially successful arterial reconstructive procedures as evidenced by improved distal arterial pulsations. The reason for reoperation on all of the patients was a decrease in amplitude of distal pulses within a few hours after operation. Nine of the 12 patients were