Gore introduces PROPATEN Vascular Grafts with Integrated Rings

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 AIMsymposium^TM / VEITHsymposium^TM 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.

“We are excited to introduce the GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft with Integrated Rings, a vascular graft that is biocompatible, conformable and easy to handle,” said Jennifer Recknor with the Gore Peripheral Vascular Business. “Vascular surgeons look to the GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft as the prosthetic device of choice in lower limb and dialysis access applications, and published data from ongoing GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft studies reports primary patency rates as high as 92 percent for below-knee femoropopliteal bypasses at one year.^* At Gore, we are committed to improving vascular surgery and are pleased to continue to offer enhancements to the lowest profile, radially-supported graft available on the market today.”

The GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft is the first and only vascular graft of its kind on the market approved for hemodialysis access and the treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). As many as 12 million Americans over the age of 50 are affected by PAD, and an estimated 400,000 of those suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are on hemodialysis. This unique surgical graft is designed to address the gap in clinical performance between prosthetic and autologous vein grafts by bonding the anticoagulant heparin on the luminal surface, which allows the graft to retain its thromboresistant bioactive properties over time. It received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2006.