Thrombosis Resistant Vascular Graft

An expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)-heparin vascular graft has been approved for peripheral vascular disease, including lower-limb bypass and dialysis surgery.

The Gore Propaten vascular graft utilizes the anticoagulant properties of heparin directly at the luminal surface of the graft. The proprietary end-point attachment mechanism serves to anchor heparin molecules to the luminal surface while still maintaining heparin's intrinsic bioactive properties, and is intended to address the gap in clinical performance between synthetic and vein grafts. The thromboresistant surface technology employed on the Propaten vascular graft is designed to maintain bioactivity over an extended time period, thus increasing the potential for sustained performance.

Data from more than 10,000 patients worldwide followed during four years of commercial availability have confirmed a mean 1-year patency of 80% for the graft, which is similar to that for autologous vein grafts (81%) and higher than that for ePTFE synthetic grafts (66%) in this application. The Propaten vascular graft is a product of W.L. Gore & Associates (Flagstaff, AZ, USA), and was approved for use in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2006.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), more commonly known by its trademarked name Teflon, is a synthetic fluoropolymer that has a variety of applications. It has an extremely low coefficient of friction and is used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. It is very non-reactive, and is therefore often used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, in one of its forms, is popularly known as Gore-Tex.



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W.L. Gore & Associates