Journal of vascular surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Heparin-bonded Dacron or polytetrafluoroethylene for femoropopliteal bypass grafting: a multicenter trial.
Dacron (polyester fiber) was largely abandoned for femoropopliteal bypass grafts 30 years ago because saphenous vein achieved better patencies. However, in patients taking aspirin, patency in above-knee femoropopliteal bypass grafts has recently been shown to be equivalent to that with saphenous vein. We compared heparin-bonded Dacron (HBD) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in a randomized multicenter trial including below-knee popliteal or tibioperoneal trunk bypass graft where the long saphenous vein was absent or inadequate. ⋯ HBD achieved better patency than PTFE, which carried a high risk of subsequent amputation.