Fibrin seal--an alternative to suture repair in experimental pulmonary surgery

Fibrin seal (FS) a biological tissue adhesive was evaluated as a sealant of lung parenchyma. New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits underwent a right upper lobe wedge resection. The defect was repaired with FS, suture (S), or a combination of S and FS (SFS). Five rabbits from each treatment group were sacrificed on postoperative Days 1, 3, and 14. The ventilatory pressure required to produce air leak was measured and the wet weight of normal vs hemorrhagic lung tissue determined. Although leak pressure was lowest in FS on Day 1 (P less than 0.05), leak pressure was equal to S and SFS of Day 3 and highest on Day 14 (P less than 0.01). FS-treated lungs had less hemorrhagic tissue than S and SFS (P less than 0.0001). Microscopically S and SFS repairs had large areas of hemorrhagic necrosis while FS showed minimal changes. We conclude that FS is an effective sealant of lung parenchyma.