Microfibrillar Elastic Polymer Wrapping of Rat Vena Cava for the Study of Engineered Arterial Vein Grafts

The autologous saphenous vein graft remains the graft of choice for 95% of surgeons performing coronary artery or peripheral bypass procedures. Within the first 5 years after implantation, 20%–40% of arterial vein grafts (AVG) fail due to intimal hyperplasia (IH)1. This adverse pathological response by AVGs may be in part due to their abrupt exposure to the significantly elevated circumferential wall stress associated with the arterial system2. We believe that if an AVG is given an ample opportunity to adapt and remodel to the stresses of the arterial environment, cellular injury may be reduced, thus limiting the initiating mechanisms of IH.