Rapid anticalcification treatment for glutaraldehyde-fixed autologous tissue in cardiovascular surgery

Abstract Background Glutaraldehyde (GA)-fixed autologous tissues, including the pericardium, are widely used as patches and valve substitutes in cardiovascular surgery. However, GA treatment causes tissue calcification. No rapid anticalcification method has been established for use during surgery. Here, we aimed to establish a rapid anticalcification method using ethanol, as has already been demonstrated for bioprosthetic valves. Methods Thoracic aorta tissues were first fixed with GA for 3 min and then treated with ethanol for 0 (group 2), 10 (group 3), 20 (group 4), and 30 (group 5) min; untreated tissues (group 1) served as the control. The treated tissues were subdermally implanted into 3-week-old male Wistar rats and kept in place for 28 days. The calcification in each explant was semiquantitatively evaluated by annotating and measuring the area using virtual slides, and the data obtained were statistically analyzed. Results Semiquantitative analysis revealed that calcification of the implants from the untreated group (group 1; P = 0.0014) and groups 4 (P = 0.0014) and 5 (P = 0.0031) was significantly lower than that of implants from group 2. Moreover, implants from group 3 showed a tendency toward decreased calcification, although it was not significant (P = 0.0503). Conclusions A rapid ethanol treatment prevents calcification of GA-fixed tissues in a rat model of subdermal implantation. This method may facilitate effective and rapid anticalcification of autologous tissues for use during cardiovascular surgery.