Quantification of gas denucleation and thrombogenicity of vascular grafts.

J Biomed Mater Res

Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.

Published: March 1991

AI Article Synopsis

  • In vitro methods were created to evaluate air content in vascular grafts and how it affects their ability to cause blood clots (thrombogenicity).
  • Gas content in different ePTFE grafts varied significantly, and techniques such as vacuum exposure and immersion in solvents led to substantial removal of gas from the graft walls.
  • Denucleation of grafts resulted in a notable reduction in blood clot formation, indicating that the presence of air in the grafts is a significant factor influencing thrombus weight.

Article Abstract

In vitro methods were developed to measure the air content of vascular graft walls and the thrombogenicity of this air. Gas content (volume %) of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts from different sources ranged from 75.5 +/- 0.4% to 61.8 +/- 0.3%. Exposure of Vitagraft ePTFE to a vacuum prior to saline immersion replaced 87.5% of the gas nuclei with saline (denucleation). Acetone and ethanol immersion produced 98.9% and 94.3% denucleation, respectively. Denucleation was essentially complete when vacuum exposure was followed by hydrostatic pressure treatment at 500 psig or greater. The influence of gas content on thrombogenicity was determined by immersing graft samples in whole canine blood and weighing the adherent thrombus. Denucleation significantly reduced adherent thrombus weight compared with control grafts (p less than 0.001). Air in Vitagraft walls was responsible for 84% of the adherent thrombus weight at four minutes. The described methods could be employed to assess the hemocompatibility of various biomaterials.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jbm.820250309DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

adherent thrombus
12
gas content
8
thrombus weight
8
denucleation
5
quantification gas
4
gas denucleation
4
denucleation thrombogenicity
4
thrombogenicity vascular
4
vascular grafts
4
grafts vitro
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!