Clinical Applications and Limitations of Vascular Grafts

Abstract

Prosthetic grafts have been implanted in humans for the treatment of vascular disease for over six decades and have contributed to increased survival and quality of life. Despite the extensive research following this early success, there has been little development or improvement in graft design for clinical application. Multiple modalities have been investigated, from new polymer designs to the completely tissue-engineered blood vessels, but few have translated beyond the preclinical phase.