Clinical experience with fibrin glue in cardiac surgery

Cardiac surgery is often associated with hemostatic abnormalities leading to severe bleeding. Special problems are to be expected, if prosthetic material has to be implanted. Preclotting of Dacron prostheses with blood is well established but failures are sometimes encountered. Several years ago a new hemostatic sealing system (fibrin glue) was introduced into therapy. Since 1978 fibrin glue has been applied in 176 patients. The indications were: 1. sealing of woven Dacron prostheses, 2. bleeding from suture-holes (Gore-Tex), 3. diffuse myocardial bleeding and 4. prevention of kinking of coronary artery grafts. In 32 patients with an aortoventriculoplasty operation using Dacron the "blood preclotting" and "fibrin sealing" methods were compared. In the fibrin glue group there was a significant reduction in postoperative blood loss as well as a shortening of the operation time (period of protamin administration to skin closure). No fibrinolytic dissolution of the fibrin layer on the prostheses was observed.