Homemade pericardial bifurcated graft for Q fever-infected abdominal aortic aneurysm open repair: a case report

TL;DR

A patient with a Q fever-infected abdominal aortic aneurysm was successfully treated with open surgery and a homemade bovine pericardial graft.

Contribution

A successful treatment approach using a homemade bovine pericardial graft for a C. burnetii-infected aneurysm is reported.

Findings

The patient showed no signs of persistent infection or vascular complications one year after surgery.

C. burnetii immunoglobulin titers decreased six months post-surgery.

Abstract

Q fever is a zoonotic infection caused by Coxiella burnetii. In rare cases, it can lead to vascular complications, including infected aneurysms. Successful treatment involves surgery and antibiotics, but there is no established consensus or clear recommendation for the choice of material graft. We report a case of abdominal aortic aneurysm infected by C. burnetii treated by open surgery with complete resection of the aneurysm and homemade bovine pericardial bifurcated graft reconstruction and long-term antibiotherapy using doxycycline. One year postoperatively, the patient had no sign of persistent infection or vascular complication. Moreover, C. burnetii immunoglobulins titers decreased 6 months postoperatively.

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