A new method for measuring permeability of bio‐impregnated textile grafts

Abstract

AbstractTraditional water permeability evaluation procedures developed for measurement of gross leakage rates of textile prostheses are not adequate for testing the permeability of low‐porosity bio‐impregnated vascular prostheses. Obtaining reliable water permeability data for these low porosity grafts requires a technique that can accurately assess minor water leakage under the applied pressure. This study proposes an automated method for graft permeability assessment which measures the pressure change inside the graft sample as a function of water loss. The new unit of water permeability defines the pressure gradient at the given initial conditions. The proposed method for evaluating the water permeability of bio‐impregnated vascular prostheses provides highly reliable data, is accurate, and excludes human error.