Interpretation of intra-operative strain differences in ascending thoracic aortic repair patients.

Local biaxial deformation plays a pivotal role in evaluating the tissue state of the ascending aorta and in driving intramural cell-mediated tissue remodeling. Unfortunately, the absence of anatomical markers on the ascending aorta presents challenges in capturing deformation. Utilizing our established intra-operative biaxial strain measurement method, we delineated local biaxial deformation characteristics in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass graft surgery recipients (n = 20), and Aortic Repair surgery patients (n = 47).

Effect of rapid cooling, frozen storage, and thawing on the passive viscoelastic properties and structure of the rat aorta.

Biological tissues decay over time after harvesting, which alters their biomechanical properties. This poses logistical challenges for studies investigating passive arterial biomechanics as tissues need to be characterized shortly after excision. Freezing and cryopreservation methods can help alleviate the need for biomechanical testing of fresh tissue in human ex vivo studies.