[Clinical use of an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene sheets (GORE-TEX SHEETS) as a pericardial substitute after aorto coronary bypass grafting].

Reoperation after cardiovascular surgical procedures are often accompanied by the possibility of injuring the heart the great vessels, and extracardiac grafts during resternotomy. To reduce the risk associated with resternotomy and to facilitate dissection of intrapericardial adhesion, we have used GORE-TEX SHEET as pericardial substitute since January, 1989. In case GORE-TEX SHEET are implanted in the mediastinum, prolongation of the foreign body reaction, mediastinitis, increasing postoperative hemorrhage should be in mind. In this study, the biocompatibility of GORE-TEX SHEET was examined clinically. The following postoperative indices such as duration of fever, change of the WBC counts, WBC fraction, CRP, mediastinal hemorrhage are evaluated. These results showed no statistical significance between GORE-TEX SHEET group and autologous pericardial group by the randomized study. We recommend use of GORE-TEX SHEET as a pericardial substitute in cases of major cardiovascular operation using median sternotomy.