CASE REPORT  VASCULAR SECTION 

The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery 2020 June;61 (3):347-50

DOI: 10.23736/S0021-9509.16.07857-X

Copyright © 2014 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Initial experience with a novel hybrid vascular graft for peripheral artery disease

Willem WILLAERT ✉, Karel CLAES, Albert FLAMME, Bart JACOBS

Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, AZ Maria Middelares Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

This report describes the successful use of a new hybrid vascular graft as a conduit for above knee femoro-popliteal bypass surgery. The graft consists of a proximal (heparin coated) expanded polytetrafluoroethylene section but ends distally as a nitinol reinforced self-expandable stent that is covered and constrained, allowing a sutureless distal anastamosis. With this graft the creation of above knee bypasses in situations where lesions extend to the popliteal artery behind the knee, or in cases where the above knee popliteal artery is severely calcified is still possible. This avoids the necessity of an infragenicular bypass with potentially inferior long-term patency rates, especially when no autologous venous bypass material is available.

KEY WORDS: Peripheral artery disease; Cardiopulmonary bypass; Endovascular procedures