The Artificial Artery in the Treatment of Vascular Disease

The year 2010 will be the first in which an artificial artery will be put to the test in the practice of medicine. According to the article, "Trials Of Artificial Artery" by the British Broadcast Company (BBC), "London's Royal Free Hospital used nanotechnology to develop the small bypass graft from a polymer material." This news is of special interest to sufferers of vascular disease.

Arteries are blood vessels with walls specially designed to endure blood pressure for the duration of a person's life. But, certain diseases such as hardening of the arteries can damage these walls causing blockages and weakening which may lead to what's known as an aneurysm. An aneurysm is an abnormal localized enlargement of the artery which may rupture.

Currently, doctors attempt to replace the damaged part of the vessel with either a graft made of plastic or a vein taken from the patient's leg. This treatment works best when the graft is 8mm or larger, but doctors are seeking more effective ways of using grafts of a smaller size. One of the biggest problems with the current treatment is obtaining a suitable vein from the patient. If he doesn't have one, the bypass may not be successful resulting in amputations of limbs, coronary bypass surgery and fatal heart attacks.

The new artificial artery manufactured using nanotechnology was designed with patients suffering vascular disease in mind. Microscopic molecules were employed in the making of it. The goal is to aid circulation and the encouragement of stem cells to protect the lining of the graft leading to the repair of the damaged vessels.

While many people with vascular disease may be rejoicing over the advances of nanotechnology in the field of medicine, their embrace of it may be premature. Wrong diet and an unhealthy life style are the usual culprits when speaking of the underlying cause of many diseases. No matter how far technology advances, it will never replace man's need to treat his body right.

Dr. Sidney Wolfe is just one of many medical doctors who have sharply criticized the use of silicone gel breast implants. In the article, "Silicone Breast Implants - Defective Medical Devices?" Dr. Wolfe referred to them as, "the most defective medical device ever approved by the FDA.
Silicone gel breast implants were also once new technology that was embraced by many women, but that has also caused them much damage.