Important factors influencing the strength of autologous fibrin glue; the fibrin concentration and reaction time--comparison of strength with commercial fibrin glue.

Fibrin glue was prepared from citrated plasma of human donors by means of ethanol. The outcome was a fibrinogen concentrate with a mean concentration of 43 mg/ml. The fibrinogen was converted to fibrin by the addition of 0.3 part of thrombin solution, 150 NIH U/ml, containing 100 mM calcium chloride. In a rat model full-thickness skin grafts were sealed with the glue, and the adhesive strength was measured at different fibrin concentrations, and after a variable reaction time, and compared to commercial fibrin glue (Tisseel). The strength of ethanol-prepared glue was directly proportional to the fibrin concentration, and increased rapidly within the first minutes of the reaction time. The strength of the commercial glue could be obtained with autologous fibrin glue at the same fibrin concentration.