Coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease are the most common forms of cardiovascular disease. Doctors may perform surgery to help improve a patient’s health and relieve pain caused by these conditions.
Blood flow is redirected around the damaged or blocked artery by taking a small blood vessel (graft) from an artery or vein in the body, such as the saphenous vein, internal mammary artery, or radial artery, and transplanting it to the damaged site to create a new path for blood flow. This type of surgery is known as a “bypass.” Grafts can cause damage to the site from which they were taken.
Alternative blood vessels
3D-printed blood vessels that closely mimic the properties of human veins could transform the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Experts believe that the strong, flexible, gel-like tubes created using a new 3D printing technique could improve outcomes for heart bypass surgery patients by replacing human and artificial veins currently used in surgery to redirect blood flow.
The development of artificial vessels could help reduce scarring, pain and infection risks associated with the removal of human veins in bypass surgeries, and these products could also help mitigate the failure of small artificial grafts that can be difficult to integrate into the body.
Study stages
In a two-stage research study, a team of researchers led by the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering used a rotating spindle integrated into a 3D printer to print tubular grafts made from a hydrogel.
They then reinforced the printed graft in a process known as electrospinning, which uses high voltage to extract ultra-fine nanofibers, and coated the artificial blood vessel with biodegradable polyester particles. Tests showed that the resulting products were as strong as natural blood vessels.
The 3D implant can be made from 1 to 40 mm in diameter for a range of applications, and its flexibility means it can be easily integrated into the human body, the team says.
The next stage of the study, published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University on July 25, will involve investigating the use of blood vessels in animals in collaboration with the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, followed by human trials.
“Our hybrid technology opens up exciting new avenues for producing tubular structures in tissue engineering,” says lead researcher Dr Faraz Fazal from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering.
“Our research findings address a long-standing challenge in vascular tissue engineering to produce a conduit with biomechanical properties similar to those of human veins,” explains Dr. Norbert Radacci, also from the same faculty. “With continued support and collaboration, the vision of improved treatment options for patients with cardiovascular disease could become a reality.”