Operating under septic conditions poses significant challenges in vascular surgery.
Infection is a serious risk when handling synthetic vessel prostheses and is one of
the most dreaded complications. In the event of graft infection, an infection-resistant
alternative is necessary. Cryopreserved vascular allografts offer a suitable alternative
to replace an infected vessel or a section of a synthetic graft. However, there are
no international guidelines for the preparation, storage, and thawing of such vessel
grafts. Here, we aimed to investigate the mechanical properties of human cryopreserved
arteries across multiple scales, ranging from nanonewton to newton forces and identify
the optimal cryogenic storage duration. Human arterial allograft samples were frozen
in a slow, controlled process and stored at −80 °C. One native and four cryopreserved
samples were examined during a six-month-long period. Dimethyl-sulphoxide was used
as a cryoprotectant. The mechanical properties of fresh and stored samples were explored
in uniaxial ring tests and nanoindentation. We found no significant changes in the
multi-scale mechanical properties during the examination period. Our results indicate
that the cryopreserved vascular allografts are mechanically stable for up to six months
under cryogenic conditions; hence, they represent ideal samples in vascular surgery.
