Bacterial Adherence to Graft Tissues in Static and Flow Conditions

Abstract Objective Various conduits or stent-mounted valves are used as pulmonary valve graft tissues for Right Ventricular Outflow Tract reconstruction with good hemodynamic results. Valve replacement inherits an increased risk of infective endocarditis (IE). Recent observations rose awareness to IE after transcatheter implantation of a stent-mounted bovine jugular vein valve. The present study focuses on the susceptibility of graft tissue surfaces to bacterial adherence as a potential risk factor for subsequent IE. Methods Staphylococcus aureus , S. epidermidis and Streptococcus sanguinis adhesion to bovine pericardium (BP) patch, bovine jugular vein (BJV) and cryopreserved homograft (CH) tissues was quantified under static and shear stress conditions. Microscopic analysis and histology were performed to evaluate bacterial adhesion to matrix components. Results In general, similar bacteria numbers were recovered from CH and BJV tissue surface for all strains, especially in flow conditions. Static bacterial adhesion to CH wall was lower for S. sanguinis adhesion ( P