Efficacy of Dexon microsutures in rat major abdominal vessel anastomosis. I: Application to heterotopic heart transplant.

A total of 52 syngeneic heterotopic heart transplants were performed using 9-0 Dexon microsutures to see if these anastomoses could be tolerable when challenged by the burden of transplanted heart and lung. Eighteen long-term surviving transplants were verified by reliable ECG, Doppler tracings, and direct palpation of the heart grafts. Animals sacrificed at monthly intervals beginning 3 to 6 months posttransplantation were free of thrombus, lung abscesses, and separation at the anastomoses. Even though foreign body reaction was still present up to 5 months posttransplantation, no actual sutures were present after 3 months. From these observations, Dexon microsuture is acceptable in organ transplantation procedures.