Glutaraldehyde fixation of venous valve tissue: A benchmark for alternative fixation methods.

Bioprosthetic venous valves have yet to achieve long-term patency due to issues with calcification following implantation that is influenced by current xenograft fixation methods, most notably glutaraldehyde. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of glutaraldehyde fixation on the functional properties of venous tissue to establish a benchmark for the evaluation of alternative fixation methods. The degree of crosslinking was evaluated by determining shrink temperature and the stability of tissue with pronase and collagenase digestion. Glutaraldehyde fixation of venous tissue was confirmed by a significant difference in the shrink temperature between fresh and glutaraldehyde treated samples. Significant differences in the amount of tissue remaining following digestion were observed for venous versus cardiac tissue. This study demonstrates the importance of tissue-specific evaluation in the development of alternative xenograft fixation methods to improve outcomes with bioprosthetic venous valves.