A UBC invention has made it possible for doctors to vastly improve their bypass surgery techniques without relying on animals.
The invention — synthetic heart valves, arteries and veins made of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel — was created by researchers at UBC’s Okanagan campus
The polyvinyl “tissue” makes it possible for surgeons and medical residents to practise bypass surgery using the synthetic material as opposed to the current practice of using the arteries and veins of dead pigs or human cadavers.
