Rifampin-bonded vascular grafts and postoperative infections.

Postoperative wound and graft infections remain a major challenge for vascular surgeons. The bonding of antimicrobial substances on the graft material has been considered for many years, but the demonstration of safety and efficacy of these techniques is far from evident. Among the different proposed options, bonding of rifampin to the grafts has been the most evaluated technique, both experimentally and clinically. The objective of this review was to present and analyze the available data on rifampin-bonding and the possible evolutions of this technique to improve the resistance of vascular prostheses.