A new type of bioengineered blood vessel showed strong results in treating severe vascular injuries, potentially offering vascular surgeons a better alternative to synthetic grafts when patients’ veins aren’t suitable for use in repairs. In a phase II trial at Rutgers Health and other institutions, the bioengineered vessels demonstrated superior infection resistance and better limb preservation than historical results with conventional synthetic grafts. The study, published in JAMA Surgery, included both civilian trauma patients in the United States and military casualties in Ukraine.
The first U.S. implantation of the technology was performed at Rutgers under the direction of Michael Curi, the chief of vascular surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “This is the first bioengineered or grown blood vessel tested in human arterial reconstruction for traumatically injured vessels,” said Curi, a coauthor of the study. “It adds a new option for repairing damage and will help a subset of patients who lack good standard options. Participating in these trials has let us offer this care to patients in Newark, and we will be among the first to use it in standard clinical care now that the FDA has approved it.”
The vessels, called acellular tissue-engineered vessels (ATEVs), are grown in a lab from cultured human cells and then undergo treatment to prevent immune rejection. When implanted, the patient’s own cells gradually populate the vessel, making it more resistant to infection than synthetic alternatives. To read the full story.