Biodegradable Vascular Coupling Device
A biodegradable, metal-free coupler that joins arteries and veins quickly, with a watertight seal and nothing left inside the vessel.
The problem
Hand suturing is still the standard way to join small arteries and veins in microsurgery. It is slow and depends heavily on the surgeon's skill. Sutures can also tear the vessel lining or catch the back wall, which can cause clots and loss of the transferred tissue.
Our approach
Our coupler is fully biodegradable, with no moving parts. It works for both arteries and veins. It joins the two vessel ends quickly and leaves nothing inside the vessel in contact with flowing blood. It is designed for vessels from 1.5 to 4.0 mm in outside diameter.
Results so far
In benchtop tests with porcine arteries and veins, coupled vessels held up under simulated worst-case physiological conditions. They leaked far less than hand-sutured connections.
Development
The technology was developed at the University of Utah and licensed to MSI. Its development has been supported by NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) SBIR awards.