Effect of blood flow on the fate of venous grafts in the arterial circulation.

The paper deals experimentally with the influence of the blood flow on the long-term fate of venous grafts in the arterial circulation. Based on the results of experiments, and applying the laws of haemodynamics, the paper provides evidence that the blood flow has a decisive influence on the behavior of the implanted vein. Veins with a mean flow of 364.5 ml/min, dilate by 70% while the external diameter of veins with a mean flow of 65.4 ml/min. remain without major changes. This difference in the behaviour is statistically significant at the 1% level. From the results ensues that the vein is suited for reconstructions where a blood flow of 50--200 ml/min. may be expected.