Fate of fibrin sealant in pericardial space

Background. Although fibrin sealant (Beriplast, Aventis Behring, Marburg, Germany) has been widely used as a supplementary measure for hemostasis during cardiac surgery in Europe and is becoming popular in the United States, the pharmocokinetics of fibrin sealant applied in pericardial space has not been elucidated. Methods. A small incision was made on the epicardial surface of the left ventricle of a rat, and the incision was sutured. Total 0.2 ml of fibrin sealant containing iodine 125 (125I)-labeled fibrinogen, aprotinin, blood coagulation factor XIII and thrombin was applied to the area around the suture line. Results. Distributions of 125I-labeled fibrinogen in the heart on postoperative days 1, 3, 7, and 14 were 48.2% ± 1.8%, 20.7% ± 2.2%, 0.15% ± 0.02%, and 0.01% ± 0.02%, respectively. The radioactivity was negligible in the blood, liver, spleen, and kidney except for the thyroid in which the radioactivity increased to 7.9% ± 0.7% and 4.3% ± 0.4%, respectively, on postoperative days 7 and 14. Iodine 125-labeled fibrinogen concentrations of the heart and other organs showed a similar change in the time course of distribution. Dense and thick fibrin network, observed on postoperative day 1, had dissipated and was thinner with collagen formation by postoperative day 7. Conclusions. Fibrin sealant applied to the pericardial cavity regresses rapidly and plays an important role in wound healing.