Page for the General Public

The following pages summarize and review this issue’s articles for an audience without a background in medicine or research.

Domenico Calcaterra et al.: “Aortic Root Reconstruction with a New Dacron Graft Featuring Prefabricated Coronary Side Branches”

When the first segment of the aorta, the body’s main artery, needs to be repaired or replaced, one of the challenges consists of the necessity of reimplanting the coronary arteries into the graft prosthesis used for replacement. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle and branch from the aorta right at its root. Calcaterra et al. developed a graft prosthesis that has two prefabricated branches to attach the coronary arteries. The authors report a group of 8 patients in which they used the new graft. None of the patients had any complications related to the graft. They, therefore, suggest that their new graft might render aortic root reconstructions easier and safer, especially in cases expected to be difficult. However, the small group of patients this graft was used in so far does not allow an overall recommendation of a broader use of this graft yet.