ABSTRACT Introduction: The aim of this study was to present the mid-term results of patients who had undergone a carotid-subclavian bypass surgery after a thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) stent-graft implantation with proximal landing at zone 2 of the aorta. Methods: A total of 66 patients had undergone TEVAR and carotid-subclavian bypass between January 2015 and May 2020 at our clinic. Five of these patients were lost to follow-up, so 61 patients were included in this retrospective study. At follow-up visits, patency of the carotid-subclavian bypass grafts was evaluated with physical examination and radiological imaging. Results: The mean follow-up time was 15.11±12.29 months (ranging from 1 to 56 months). There were 3 (4.91%) in-hospital deaths of patients admitted with bilateral lower limb and visceral malperfusion. There were also 2 (3.27%) deaths unrelated to the procedure. Carotid-subclavian graft occlusion occurred in 3 (4.91%) patients. The occlusion was detected with radiological imaging within a period of 12 to 24 months. The graft patency rate was 100% in the first 12 months. The mean graft patency time (survival) was 52.56±2.10 months. Conclusion: Periprocedural carotid-subclavian bypass surgery with synthetic grafts is a recommended procedure with high patency and acceptably low mortality and morbidity rates in TEVAR.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The vast majority of patients who hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 are given empirical antibiotic therapy. However, information on the frequency, microorganism species, and resistance rates of secondary bacterial infections in coronavirus disease 2019 patients are insufficient. We aimed to show the frequency of secondary infections and resistance conditions in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 hospitalized in the intensive care unit. METHODS: The results of tracheal aspirate culture, blood culture, and urine culture obtained from coronavirus disease 2019 patients – at least 2 days after their admission to the intensive care unit – were examined microbiologically. RESULTS: A total of 514 patients hospitalized in intensive care unit were included in our study. Tracheal aspirate, blood, or urine cultures were collected from 369 patients (71.8%). Bacterial reproduction was detected in at least one sample in 171 (33.3%) of all patients. The rate of respiratory tract infection and/or bloodstream infection was found to be 21%. Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in tracheal aspirate culture; Coagulase-negative staphylococci, K. pneumoniae, and A. baumannii in blood culture; and Escherichia coli, K. pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis in urine culture were the most common microorganisms. A. baumannii was resistant to most antibiotics except colistin and P. aeruginosa strains were resistant to most antibiotics except amikacin, colistin, cefepime, and imipenem. In K. pneumoniae, the highest meropenem sensitivity (73%) was observed; there was a strong resistance to most of the remaining antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: We think that our study can be useful in choosing empirical antibiotic therapy in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and reducing the mortality that may occur with secondary infection.