A prosthetic graft is a device made out of a man-made (synthetic) polyester material. It is used to replace natural body tissues. Most grafts are in the shape of a tube to replace or repair blood vessels. A graft can be used to hold open an artery, blood vessel, or other hollow structure in your body (such as the tube that carries urine).
The most common graft material is Dacron.
A prosthetic graft causes very few reactions. It has no harmful chemicals and is easy for our bodies to tolerate. When it is used in blood vessels, our bodies grow a new lining to the graft over time. The lining is like our natural blood vessel linings.
Improvements to prosthetic grafts have reduced the risk of graft infection, but infections can still occur.
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References
Neville RF. Prosthetic grafts. In: Sidawy AN, Perler BA, eds. Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 66.
Review Date 11/1/2023
Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.