On the correlation between the failure of vascular grafts and their structural and material properties: a critical analysis.

A statistical investigation of reported vascular graft failures over a period of 30 years is undertaken. The most important causes of graft failure are underlined, as well as the time to failure and relative frequency of each failure mechanism. This brings out the need for a critical review of the properties of basic textile structures used in today's vascular prosthetic grafts. The physiologic and structural factors which contribute to mechanical failure of arteries and artery/implant composite systems are analyzed. The importance of obtaining the complete set of time-dependent elastic constants of the artery--which is viewed as an anisotropic material--is pointed out. Future research areas important for characterizing the mechanical behavior of artery/implant systems are suggested, with the aim of establishing rational standards for prosthesis evaluation.