VERFAHREN UND VORRICHTUNG ZUM BESIEDELN VON MIKROGEFÄSSZELLEN AUF EIN KÜNSTLICHES GEFÄSSTRANSPLANTAT

摘要

An apparatus for sodding onto the inner lumenal surface of a synthetic graft of harvested and concentrated microvessel endothelial cells from liposuctioned fat tissues, which harvested cells are formed into a "pellet" of isolated endothelial cells in loose aggregations, includes a sodding tube having a single rigid outer wall bounding a sodding chamber. A filter pack assembly is provided to communicate the pellet of cells from a processing vessel to the graft. This filter pack assembly includes a series of successively finer filter members cooperatively defining a series of turbulent-flow chambers in which aggregations of cells too large to pass through a particular filter are exposed to liquid flow turbulence which is effective to break up the aggregations. A check valve assembly ensures that liquid flow is unidirectional so that sodding of the cells onto the inner lumenal surface of the graft is not interfered with by possible liquid reflux, and sodded cells are similarly not dislodged from the graft by such liquid reflux.