Successful Surgical Strategy for Graft-esophageal Fistula After Total Arch Replacement : A Case Report.

BackgroundGraft infection is one of the catastrophic complications in the aortic surgical area. Case presentationA 62-year-old man was diagnosed graft-esophageal fistula after total arch replacement. We have experienced aggressive debridement, that includes the infected previous graft and unhealthy esophagus under the same operative field, and staged esophageal reconstruction was performed 4 months later. ConclusionsWe believe that this successful surgical strategy, which involves aggressive debridement using re-median incision plus a left posterolateral thoracotomy under the same operative field, is useful and safe and achieved a favorable result.