Pericardial closure with polytetrafluoroethylene surgical membrane or biodegradable polyglycolic acid mesh after coronary artery bypass surgery--a baseline report.
OBJECTIVE
Complete and tight closure of the native pericardium may kink or even occlude bypass grafts after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and therefore the feasibility of tight closure has been debated. The growing number of reoperations has raised the question how to reduce the risk of damage of the right ventricle and patent grafts. We are performing a prospective randomized trial aiming to evaluate the feasibility of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surgical membrane and biodegradable polygycolic acid (PGA) mesh as pericardial substitutes for closure purposes in patients undergoing primary isolated CABG surgery.


METHODS
The series comprises 540 patients who underwent a primary isolated CABG procedure at the Oulu University Hospital from October 1989 to May 1994.


CONCLUSIONS
The baseline results suggest that the PTFE and PGA materials seem to be similar despite the subtle early expression of tamponade related to the PTFE membrane after postoperative bleeding.
Lahtinen
J
J
Department of Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Finland.
Satta
J
J
Pokela
R
R
Nissinen
J
J
Juvonen
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000601:surgery*; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene