The hemodynamics of simple and sequential iliofemoral grafts in dogs three months after insertion

Hindlimb pressures and flows were measured 3 months after insertion of simple and sequential iliofemoral grafts in the hindlimbs of dogs to determine which type of graft provides the highest blood flow under resting and vasodilated conditions. Under resting conditions, the sequential graft had 94 percent greater distal blood flow than the simple graft. The pressure gradients across the grafts were comparable. When the hindlimb was dilated by intra-arterial injection of adenosine, both distal and proximal blood flows increased in both graft types. The sequential graft, however, provided higher proximal flows than the simple graft although the pressure gradients were increased by the same magnitude across both graft types. Therefore, our data indicated that 3 months after insertion, sequential iliofemoral grafts provide improved vascular flows compared with simple grafts under resting and dilated conditions.