Posted on 01/17/2024 9:12:50 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Researchers have learned that by preserving large superficial leg veins intended for coronary bypass grafting in a mixture of the anticoagulant heparin and blood, rather than heparin and saline, the veins were better protected from cell and tissue damage.
In severe cases of coronary artery disease, blood flow to the heart is impeded. Surgeons improve blood flow by using veins from the leg to reroute the blood flow in the heart. During these procedures, surgeons remove a section of vein and typically preserve it in a saline solution for two to four hours until it's needed.
A decade or more after surgery, however, 50%–60% of those grafts fail.
Meghan Sedovy noticed severe damage to the endothelial lining of saphenous vein cell tissues. What was happening?
Joseph and Johnstone designed a study to find out. Surgeons used standard techniques to remove blood vessels from patients' legs for use during coronary bypass procedures. In roughly half of surgeries, veins were preserved in a heparinized saline solution, the standard of care, and the rest were preserved in heparinized arterial blood. Heparin is used to decrease clotting.
Sedovy transported the preserved, unused vein segments to Johnstone's lab for analysis.
While other studies have shown positive results with veins preserved in blood, researchers found that heparinized arterial blood provided better nutrients when the veins were outside of the body awaiting use as a bypass graft, which resulted in healthier endothelium.
After examining unused vein back in the lab, the researchers found that:
- Microscopic analysis of saphenous vein graft tissues revealed damage in saline treated veins.
- Endothelial coverage improved when using the patient's own heparinized arterial blood.
- Heparinized patient blood also protected against oxidative stress, or tissue damage.
"The blood-treated cells essentially implement antioxidants to mitigate that increase in oxidative stress," Johnstone said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
If you are scheduling such an operation, see if your doctors can use this approach.
They’re just now figuring that out?
Wow who would have ever thought that blood has life saving properties?
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