Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Sep;4(Suppl 1):S23-6.
doi: 10.4103/2229-516X.140715.

Infected pseudoaneurysms in intravenous drug abusers: Ligation or reconstruction?

Navdeep Singh Saini  1 , Anil Luther  1 , Amit Mahajan  1 , Allen Joseph  1
Affiliations

Infected pseudoaneurysms in intravenous drug abusers: Ligation or reconstruction?

Navdeep Singh Saini et al. Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Infected pseudoaneurysm in intravenous (IV) drug abusers is a serious clinical problem, with difficult and controversial management. With existing controversies regarding their optimal management, we present the results of simple ligation and local debridement for treatment of infected pseudoaneurysms.

Patients and methods: Records of 72 consecutive patients with pseudoaneurysms in IV drug abusers over the last 20 years were reviewed retrospectively.

Results: Ligation and excision of pseudoaneurysm was done in all patients with delayed revascularization in only two patients. Four patients had amputations because they had gangrenous limbs on presentation. All other patients had healthy limbs at the time of discharge. There were three deaths, two due to sepsis with multiorgan dysfunction and one with hemorrhagic shock.

Conclusion: Infected pseudoaneurysm should be managed by simple ligation of involved artery with delayed revascularization, if required.

Keywords: Delayed revascularization; drug abuser; infected pseudoaneurysm; ligation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Valentine RJ, Turner WW., JR Rutherford RB. Vascular Surgery. 4th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 1995. Acute vascular insufficiency due to drug injection; pp. 846–53.
    1. Wamer RM, Srinivasan JR. Protean manifestations of intravenous drug use. Surgeon. 2004;2:137–40. - PubMed
    1. Behera A, Menakuru SR, Jindal R. Vascular complications of drug abuse: An Indian experience. ANZ J Surg. 2003;73:1004–7. - PubMed
    1. Geelhoed GW, Joseph WL. Surgical sequelae of drug abuse. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1974;139:749–55. - PubMed
    1. Anderson CB, Butcher HR, Jr, Ballinger WF. Mycotic aneurysms. Arch Surg. 1974;109:712–7. - PubMed