Improving Cardiovascular Surgical Outcomes with 3D Printed Grafts

What is the most dangerous disease in the world? Although most would point to cancer, it is actually heart disease that takes that role and even curing it can be deadly for sufferers of a variety of cardiovascular conditions. Thankfully, there may be a solution. A research team from Donghua University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have published a study showing that 3D printed electrospun vascular grafts loaded with TMP (tetramethylpyrazine, a chemical compound found in the Japanese food nattō and fermented cocoa beans), could improve cardiovascular disease treatments by reducing thrombosis (occurring when blood clots block blood vessels and commonly seen due to immobility) and retrain aneurysmal dilation post-surgery.

According to the British Heart foundation, there are around 620 million people living with cardiovascular diseases across the world, an estimated 1 in 13 people. Not only that, but it is the leading cause of death, accounting for at least a third worldwide, while cancers are responsible for about one-in-five deaths. The treatment often includes vessel replacement due to severe stenosis, or total narrowing of arteries in the heart, but current standards still face challenges such as thrombosis. This is where these 3D printed electrospun vascular grafts are expected to make a significant difference.

An illustration of the 3D printed electrospun vascular graft filled with TMP (image credits: Burns & Trauma)

Using 3D Printed Vascular Grafts to Treat the Heart

The grafts were made by combining electrospinning, an electrohydrodynamic process to create fibers, and an unspecified 3D printing process. They include an inner layer made of electrospun poly (L-lactic-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) nanofibers and an outer layer of 3D printed poycaprolactone (PCL) microfibers. A dual layer design was chosen for stability and flexibility. TMP, which was derived from the Chinese medicine Ligusticum chuanxiong, was then added for antiplatelet and anticoagulant properties.