The GraftConnector experience. Long-term patency and histological work up in an animal model.
BACKGROUND
A device to perform sutureless end-to-side coronary artery anastomosis has been developed by means of stent technology (GraftConnector). The present study assesses the long-term quality of the GraftConnector anastomosis in a sheep model.


METHODS
In 8 adult sheep, 40-55 kg in weight, through left anterior thoracotomy, the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) was prepared and connected to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) by means of GraftConnector, on beating heart, without using any stabilizer. Ticlopidine 250 mg/day for anticoagulation for 4 weeks and Aspirin 100 mg/day for 6 months were given. The animals were sacrificed after 6 months and histological examination of anastomoses was carried out after slicing with the connector in situ for morphological analysis.


RESULTS
All animals survived at 6 months. All anastomoses were patent and mean luminal width at histology was 1.8 +/- 0.2 mm; mean myotomia hyperplasia thickness was 0.21 +/- 0.1 mm.


CONCLUSIONS
Long-term results demonstrate that OPCABGs performed with GraftConnector had 100% patency rate. The mean anastomotic luminal width corresponds to mean LAD's adult sheep diameter. We may speculate that myotomia hyperplasia occurred as a result of local device oversizing.
Tozzi
P
P
Cardiovascular Surgery Dpt, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Switzerland. tozzi@hotmail.com
Solem
J O
JO
Boumzebra
D
D
Mucciolo
A
A
Mueller
X
X
von Segesser
L K
LK
D000818:Animals; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D005352:Fibromuscular Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology; D007387:Internal Mammary-Coronary Artery Anastomosis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012756:Sheep; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology