Secondary haemorrhage from saphenous vein grafts caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Infection of prosthetic peripheral arterial grafts continues to be a serious complication of reconstructive vascular surgery. Autogenous saphenous vein, while providing superior patency rates, is considered relatively resistant to infection. In the past decade, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a major infection control problem in both hospitals and the community, but no reports exist of MRSA causing complications in vein grafts. We present two cases in which patients colonised by MRSA developed infection of a vein graft which resulted in secondary haemorrhage and, in one case, a major amputation.