McGill study points to improved human aorta grafts
Researchers in Montreal have measured the dynamic physical properties of the human aorta, which is expected to lead to grafts that mimic the natural behaviour of the body's largest artery.
Prof Marco Amabili, from McGill University's Department of Mechanical Engineering and colleagues used their experimental design to establish how Dacron grafts, used as vascular prostheses to replace faulty aortas, compared to real ones. They found that the polyester grafts are rigid and don't expand when the heart pushes blood through them. Their results are published in Physical Review X.
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"Because the grafts don't expand at all, they induce several cardiovascular problems for patients," Amabili said in a statement. "It's the equivalent of implanting a sick aorta instead of a healthy one."
According to McGill, the team used lasers to measure the dynamic displacement of human aortas attached to a model circulatory loop which was designed to mimic the pulsing flow of blood generated by heartbeats.
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