Abstract
A soft, pliable, and low polous vascular prosthesis fabricated from ultra-fine polyester fibers was used in 7 patients with congenital heart defects from October 1991 through September 1992. Surgical procedures included aortic arch reconstruction (3), intraventricular conduit (2), intraatrial conduit (2), and subclavian artery-descending aortic bypass (1). There were no graft-related problems occured in postoperative follow-up periods. Two patients died in 4 days and 7 months after operation. Histological examination in late death patient confirmed that there was neither thrombus nor stenosis in the prosthesis, and the inner surface of prosthesis was smoothly covered with neointima. These results suggest that this new vascular prosthesis made of ultra-fine polyester fibers can be satisfactolily utilized not only for an aortic graft but also for an intraventricular or intraatrial conduit in reconstructive cardiovascular surgery for congenital heart defects.
