HEPATIC TO PULMONARY EMBOLISM OF ABSORBABLE GELATIN HEMOSTATIC SPONGE IN TWO EGYPTIAN FRUIT BATS (ROUSETTUS...

In a study on iron regulation, liver biopsies were collected at two time points from 34 adult Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). An absorbable gelatin hemostatic sponge (GS) was inserted at biopsy sites for local hemostasis in 16 bats. In the subsequent 10 yr, 12 of these bats died or were euthanized, and 11 were examined histologically; in 2 bats, intravascular GS was identified in the lungs and in 1 bat, unabsorbed GS was also identified at the hepatic biopsy site. The remaining hepatic GS was associated with local abscessation and intralesional bacteria and fungi and remained at the hepatic biopsy site for a prolonged period after placement (1 yr). The findings of local hepatic abscessation and GS embolization in the lungs of these two bats highlights a potential adverse effect related to its use in zoologic species.