ALBUMIN-COATED VASCULAR PROSTHESES - A 5-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

In June 1989, we set out to implant 200 albumin-coated aortic bifurcat ion grafts and to track the patients for a period of 5 rears to determ ine whether coating the prosthesis with albumin affected the patency o r the incidence of complication. Two hundred and one prostheses were i mplanted between Tune 1989 and July 1991. The primary and secondary pa tency at 5 years was 95% and 98%, respectively. No relation between ge nder and patency or between the state of the runoff and patency was fo und, but there was a statistically significant relation between age an d patency (P = 0.00). Graft infection was recorded in three patients ( 1.5%). There were no instances of bleeding through the graft at the ti me of implantation. The mean intra- and postoperative blood requiremen t was 2 units. There have been no incidences of false aneurysm in the groin. We conclude that there are no disadvantages of coating the pros thesis with albumin, and a trial of coated versus uncoated prostheses would be impractical.