NEW BURST TEST METHOD FOR COMPARING STRENGTHS OF BLOOD-VESSEL REPAIRS

An in vivo system was developed which allows researchers to determine the intraluminal pressures necessary to burst anastomosed blood vessel s. Rat femoral arteries underwent standard microsurgical anastomoses a nd sham surgeries. After 6 min of leak-free blood flow, the vessels we re ligated and cannulated with PE 50 tubing. The catheter was tied int o position with 6-0 suture, constructing a water-tight balloon of tiss ue inclusive of the repair site around the tubing, then attached via a ''Y'' adapter to a pressure transducer with a digital readout and to a saline filled syringe in an infusion pump. The digital readout from the transducer accurately expressed the pressure on the anastomosis. T he highest pressure recorded when the anastomosis ruptured was taken t o be the anastomotic burst pressure, Mean burst pressure for 9 suture anastomoses was 326 mm mercury. All vessel burst pressures exceeded ra t mean systolic pressure; 90% exceeded rat maximum systolic pressure, All sham surgeries failed to burst, even at pressures exceeding 1,500 mm Hg. The burst pressure test clearly provides researchers with a val id quantitative measure for in vivo comparison of the efficacies of va rious anastomotic techniques. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.