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Biomedical subjects

S A Korossis

Publications and source records attributed to S A Korossis.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Tissue engineering of vascular conduits.

BACKGROUND: Autologous conduits are not available in up to 40 per cent of patients with arteriopathy who require coronary or lower limb revascularization, and access sites for renal dialysis may eventually become exhausted. Synthetic prostheses achieve a poor patency rate in small-calibre anastomoses. This review examines how vascular tissue engineering may be used to address these issues. METHODS: A Medline search was performed, using the keywords "vascular tissue engineering", "small diameter vascular conduit", "vascular cell biology", "biomechanics", "cell seeding" and "graft endothelialization". Key references were hand-searched for relevant papers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In vitro and in vivo approaches are currently being used for guided cell repopulation of both biological and synthetic scaffolds. The major clinical problem has been extended culture time (approximately 6 weeks), which precludes their use in the acute setting. However, recent advances have led not only to improved patency rates for prostheses, but also to a potential reduction in culture time. In addition, increased mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells in the presence of ischaemic tissue may increase the autologous cell yield for scaffold reseeding with further reduction in culture time.

Bioartificial Organs↗
PubMed2000

Cardiac valve replacement: a bioengineering approach.

The second most common major heart operation in the western world is valve replacement. Any one of the four heart valves may become either so stenotic or regurgitant that it needs to be replaced in order to restore normal heart function. Although replacement surgery of dysfunctional heart valves has a very high success rate, it can provide the surgeon with a difficult decision regarding the choice of a suitable prosthesis for the individual patient. Over the years many different types of artificial heart valves have been devised. Surgeons typically deal with a heart valve replacement by installing a mechanical prosthesis or by using a bioprosthetic valve, hand-crafted from animal tissue. Least commonly, valves can be taken from human organ donors. Mechanical valve substitutes have a long fatigue life but the central flow occluders often induce blood cell trauma. Tissue substitutes have an unimpeded central orifice when open, cause minimal cell damage but have a relatively short fatigue life, especially in children where calcification may be a major problem. More recently alternative materials, such as polyurethane, have been used in artificial heart valve design while the new concept of tissue-engineering has enhanced the prospects towards an ideal cardiac valve replacement. Today's artificial valves are designed with a better understanding of the cardiovascular system with the aid of computers. Advances in computer software have allowed simulations of fluid flows through valve substitutes, both in cardiac flow simulators and the heart itself.

Animals↗