Fibrin glue (Tisseel) added with sodium hyaluronate in microvascular anastomosing

To test the effect on the handling properties of a two component fibrin glue, the viscosity was increased with sodium hyaluronate and the glue was applied to a microvascular anastomosis in rats. The femoral artery of each rat was anastomosed with three conventional sutures and then sealed with fibrin glue. Three glues with different viscosities were tested: original Tisseel fibrin glue (Immuno AG, Vienna); Tisseel with 0.9% sodium chloride added to the fibrinogen component; and Tisseel with a high molecular weight sodium hyaluronate (10 mg/ml, Healon, Pharmacia, Sweden) added to the fibrinogen component. The increased viscosity of the fibrin glue to which hyaluronate had been added resulted in a significantly higher patency rate 20 minutes after completion of the anastomosis (p < 0.01), and reduced the amount of fibrin that entered the vessels.