In-vivo bacterial adherence to intracardiac prosthetic materials: a new experimental model.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Bacterial colonization of inert artificial materials is a critical variable in the appearance of foreign body-centered infections. Hence, a new experimental endocarditis model was evaluated that enables quantitative in-vivo testing of bacterial adherence to prosthetic materials.

Methods: In 53 rabbits, different patches of either Dacron (DAC; n = 16), glutaraldehyde-fixed pericardium (GAP; n = 18) or cryopreserved allograft (AG; n = 19) were threaded onto a Prolene suture and led through a stitch incision at the left atrium to the ventricle, perforating the mitral valve and leaving the heart at the outside of the left ventricle.