Tubular polyvinyl alcohol composites used as vascular grafts: Manufacturing techniques and property evaluations

Abstract

This study aims at developing biodegradable vascular grafts by combining PVA knits and porous polyvinyl alcohol PVA hydrogels. The proposed tubular PVA composites are compared to the commercially available vascular grafts in terms of compliance that best matches the compliance of natural vessels. The warp knits and weft knits are first evaluated for their circumferential properties, while the hydrogels are examined for their porous structure. The tubular PVA composites containing knits and hydrogels are then tested for variations in their diameter and compliance. The results indicate that the weft knits exhibit greater circumferential deformation. Moreover, vascular grafts composed of weft knits also have a higher porous connectivity and compliance that matches native vessels.