Abstract
A gelatin-sealed knitted Dacron graft which has zero-porosity at implantation and does not require preclotting preparation has been developed. Gelatin-sealed aortic grafts were implanted into 39 patients and vascular surgery reconstruction was performed for thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) in 10, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in 19, and arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) and other conditions in 10. A total of 39 bifurcated or straight grafts were inserted. The Gelseal Dacron graft had superior handling characteristics and biocompatibility in comparison to conventional graft. There was no measurable blood loss from the body of the sealed graft at the time of implantation. The gelatin-sealed Dacron graft (n=10) was compared with an Intervascular Micron® graft (n=10) implanted into the abdominal aorta. No problems were evident with regard to intraoperative bleeding, allogenic and autologous transfusion volume and blood parameters between the two groups. These results suggested that the Gelseal Dacron graft sealed with gelatin was a safe, zero-porosity implantable prosthesis for clinical use.
