Faculty Collaboration Database

Fabrication of Small Caliber Stent-grafts Using Electrospinning and Balloon Expandable Bare Metal Stents. J Vis Exp 2016 10 26(116) PMID: 27805589 PMCID: PMC5092244

Pubmed ID

27805589

DOI

10.3791/54731

Abstract

Stent-grafts are widely used for the treatment of various conditions such as aortic lesions, aneurysms, emboli due to coronary intervention procedures and perforations in vasculature. Such stent-grafts are manufactured by covering a stent with a polymer membrane. An ideal stent-graft should have a biocompatible stent covered by a porous, thromboresistant, and biocompatible polymer membrane which mimics the extracellular matrix thereby promoting injury site healing. The goal of this protocol is to manufacture a small caliber stent-graft by encapsulating a balloon expandable stent within two layers of electrospun polyurethane nanofibers. Electrospinning of polyurethane has been shown to assist in healing by mimicking native extracellular matrix, thereby promoting endothelialization. Electrospinning polyurethane nanofibers on a slowly rotating mandrel enabled us to precisely control the thickness of the nanofibrous membrane, which is essential to achieve a small caliber balloon expandable stent-graft. Mechanical validation by crimping and expansion of the stent-graft has shown that the nanofibrous polyurethane membrane is sufficiently flexible to crimp and expand while staying patent without showing any signs of tearing or delamination. Furthermore, stent-grafts fabricated using the methods described here are capable of being implanted using a coronary intervention procedure using standard size guide catheters.

Author List

Uthamaraj S, Tefft BJ, Jana S, Hlinomaz O, Kalra M, Lerman A, Dragomir-Daescu D, Sandhu GS

Author

Brandon J. Tefft PhD Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Medical College of Wisconsin

Scopus

2-s2.0-84992482161   1 Citations

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Aorta
Equipment Design
Humans
Metals
Nanofibers
Polyurethanes
Prosthesis Design
Stents
Transplants