A new instrument for endoscopic gluing for bronchopleural fistulae

Fibrin glue was developed as a biologic adhesive and is frequently used in thoracic surgery, but no endoscopic instrument is available to spray fibrin glue. We developed an instrument, a new tube system, to aerosolize fibrin glue endoscopically to treat bronchopleural fistulae. This instrument was made of polypropylene, 2 mm diameter, and consisted of three microtubes, 0.3 mm diameter. Fibrinogen and thrombin glue were applied at the same time and aerosolized by burst pressure. The use of this instrument during bronchoscopy was found to increase the effectiveness of endoscopic treatment for bronchopleural fistulae.