Kink-Resistant Electrospun Vascular Grafts with Additive Manufacturing Reinforcement

ORAL

Abstract

Failure in the implanted small caliber vascular grafts is caused by the mechanical mismatch between the native vessels and the implanted graft. Mechanical issues persist with longer, smaller-diameter vascular grafts, which are needed to treat peripheral arterial diseases(PADs) or replace vessels such as the small saphenous vein, since mimicking native vessels' properties and eliminating kinks and loops in longer grafts has seen little success. Electrospinning and 3D printing are two fabrication techniques that have recently garnered considerable attention and were used in conjunction during this project to maximize their respective benefits for longer, smaller-diameter vascular grafts. Marrying these technique to improve the mechanical properties, we report improved apparent elastic moduli, most notably in the radial direction, as well as substantial reduction of kink radii. SEM images shows the mesh structure in the nanoscale which mimics the ECM of native blood vessels.

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Authors

  • Kiran Adhikari

    University of Alabama at Birmingham

  • Jordan Zimmerman

    The University of Oklohoma

  • Emmanuel Sarpong

    Georgia State University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, American Association of Physics Teachers, Bradley University, Michigan State University, University of St. Thomas, Kansas State University, Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate and Institute for Integrated Catalysis, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Delhi, University of Mississippi, Vanderbilt University, Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), President of UNCW SPS Chapter, Duke University, NC Central University, Davidson College, Beijing Normal University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, University of Kentucky, Syracuse University, Clemson University, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Florida International University, Oak Ridge National Lab, Indiana University, Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II), Bowie State University, MD, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Arizona State University, University of California, Davis, North Carolina State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, North Carolina A&T State University, UNC Charlotte