W.
L. Gore & Associates (Gore)
today announced it will expand its line of GORE
PROPATEN® Vascular Grafts to include configurations with
a unique, all ePTFE radial support that is concealed within the
ultra-smooth graft wall and resists kinking and compression. The GORE
PROPATEN Vascular Graft with Integrated Rings was introduced at the 2009
AIMsymposiumTM / VEITHsymposiumTM in November in
New York City.
“Heparin-bonded ePTFE grafts compared with vein grafts in
femoropopliteal and femorocrural bypasses: 1- and 2-year results”
“Optimal graft performance in vascular surgery requires materials to be
flexible to allow for smooth implantation,” said Michael Stoner, M.D.,
Associate Professor of Vascular Surgery for the East Carolina Heart
Institute at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina. “The
new configurations of the GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft with Integrated
Rings will allow for easier placement through a tissue tunnel and enable
clinicians to cut and sew through the radial support anywhere along the
entire length of the graft. Based on experience to date, I am optimistic
that this new feature will further help surgeons more effectively treat
challenging cases and improve the outcomes of patients with vascular
disease.”
The GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft with Integrated Rings features the same
proprietary, end-point covalently-bonded PROPATEN Bioactive Surface, and
retains much of the longitudinal extensibility, feel and handling
characteristics of a GORE-TEX® Stretch Vascular Graft.
Furthermore, the cross-sectional profile is reduced by approximately 24
percent when compared to an externally ringed graft. Radial
reinforcement at the anastomosis further allows for improved hemodynamic
flow.