DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SUBSTITUTE FOR THE CARDIAC WALL

-EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF RECONSTRUCTION OF THE RIGHT VENTRICULAR OUTFLOW TRACT WITH COLLAGEN COATED ULTRA-FINE POLYESTER MESH-

Abstract

A substitute for the cardiac wall was newly developed. This was composed of colagen coated ultra-fine polyestermesh (CUFP), which has suitable thickness and pliability, ease in suturing, good affinity to the native cardiac wall, antithlombogenicity, good healing quality, and no future degeneration such as hypeltrophy, shrinkage, calcification, or aneurysmal diatation; these are the ideal requhements for the substitute. The animal experiment as a patch in the right ventricular outflow tract of 33 dogs revealed the superior properties described above compared with a control, the glutaraldehyde treated equine pericardium. Light microscopical observations showed rapid and stable healing of the graft wall.