Role of fluid dynamics on the healing of an <i>in vivo</i> tissue engineered vascular graft

Abstract

A polyester (PET) reinforced fibrin-FN-VEGF-TGFbeta vascular graft, formed by a four-step preclotting technique of a porous PET arterial graft, shows the overlapping inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling steps of normal wound healing when implanted in the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) position in the dog, forming a surface layer of endothelial cells. While the DTA grafts readily healed (i.e., endothelialized), similar grafts implanted in the carotid-femoral artery position did not fully heal. Since the initial phases of healing were shown to be dependent upon the transport of blood-borne constituents to the graft surface, the extent of healing appears to be dependent on the fluid dynamics present in the artery-graft-artery construct. The length of the noncompliant graft, the construction of the anastomoses, bends in the construct, graft diameter, and graft compliance can affect the fluid dynamics in the implant, and thus the healing of the graft. This has clinical relevance for the testing and development of new vascular graft materials.