Effect of the suture on the durability of bovine pericardium used in cardiac bioprostheses.

Our study of the different biomaterials used in the construction of biological cardiac prostheses has shown it to be of vital importance that the physical properties of the tissue and of the suture that anchors it to the rigid polymeric support are compatible. By means of dynamic tests, we have determined the fatigue curve in sutured bovine pericardial tissue, expressed by the equation log y = 1.27 +/- 0.18 (0.26 +/- 0.05) log t, where y is the initial fatigue stress (MPa) and t is the time (min) it takes to achieve permanent deformation of the tissue. By applying this correction, we determine a set of values for stress-time which, when compared with those obtained with a non-sutured sample, reveal a significant fall in this ratio and, thus, a decrease in the durability. The use of suture threads of lesser elasticity than the pericardium may play an important role in reducing the durability of the bioprosthesis constructed with these materials.