METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING SHAPED MICROBIAL CELLULOSE FOR USE AS BIOMATERIAL, ESPECIALLY FOR MICROSURGERY

The use of exogenic materials for replacing blood vessels carries the risk of thrombosis and is therefore particularly unsuitable for microsurgical applications (inner vessel diameters of 1-3 mm and less), or only suitable under certain conditions. Replacements of blood vessels with a very small lumen in particular require biomaterials which guarantee that the surfaces of the prosthesis that come into contact with the blood are of a very high quality, and which reliably avoid this kind of thrombosis adhesion. The biomaterial is produced by immersing shaped body walls, especially of a glass matrix consisting of a glass tube and glass body, in a container of an inoculated nutrient solution so that the inoculated nutrient solution is drawn into the area between the walls of the shaped body and cultivation takes place in a moist, aerobic environment. In each subsequent cultivation process, an unused shaped body (glass body) is used as the shaped body wall for shaping the surface of the prosthesis material that is to come into contact with the blood when the biomaterial is used. This is the only sure way of reproducing the high surface quality of the vessel prosthesis and hereby reliably preventing thrombosis adhesion on the biomaterial used. The inventive method is particularly suitable for microsurgical applications, especially for replacing blood vessels and other internal hollow organs or as a cuff for covering nerve fibres, etc.