Reliable and cost-effective system for surgical stent graft insertion

For intraoperative stented graft implantation, we use a half-inch transluce nt soft polyvinyl tube as a sheath and an obturator from a two-stage venous cannula as a pushing rod. Ten centimeters of any kind of graft can be used for the stent graft itself. The stent we used was a self-expandable Giantu rco double Z stent and was sutured inside the graft. (Ann Thorac Surg 2000; 70:2171-2) (C) 2000 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.