Preliminary in Vivo Evaluation of a Hybrid Armored Vascular Graft Combining Electrospinning and Additive Manufacturing Techniques: Supplementary Issue: Current Developments in Drug Eluting Devices

Authors

  • Cristiano Spadaccio Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, UK. These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • Francesco Nappi Cardiac Surgery, Centre Cardiologique du Nord de Saint-Denis, Paris, France. These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • Federico De Marco Laboratory of Virology, The Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.
  • Pietro Sedati Unit of Imaging and Diagnostics, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
  • Fraser W.H. Sutherland Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, UK.
  • Massimo Chello Unit of Cardiac Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
  • Marcella Trombetta Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
  • Alberto Rainer Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33393/dti.2016.1426

Keywords:

vascular graft, computer-aided tissue engineering, electrospinning, additive manufacturing, heparin, drug release

Abstract

In this study, we tested in vivo effectiveness of a previously developed poly-l-lactide/poly-e-caprolactone armored vascular graft releasing heparin. This bioprosthesis was designed in order to overcome the main drawbacks of tissue-engineered vascular grafts, mainly concerning poor mechanical properties, thrombogenicity, and endothelialization. The bioprosthesis was successfully implanted in an aortic vascular reconstruction model in rabbits. All grafts implanted were patent at four weeks postoperatively and have been adequately populated by endogenous cells without signs of thrombosis or structural failure and with no need of antiplatelet therapy. The results of this preliminary study might warrant for further larger controlled in vivo studies to further confirm these findings.