Knit me an artery!
Diseased or damaged arteries can now be replaced by a material made of knitted polyester coated with fine layers of a fluoropolymer. The new material, fluoropassive, has been made by Glasgow (UK)-based Vascutek. The coating of the artery with fluoropolymer overcomes the risk of clotting which until now had prevented polyester from being used for blood vessels smaller than six mm in diameter. Fluoropassive arteries have been approved for use in the European Union.