Autologous fibrin sealant application in cardiac surgery – a single-centre observational study

Introduction
To minimize the risk of blood loss and post-transfusion complications in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery, different strategies are used. Aim: To analyse the efficacy of the intraoperative use of autologous fibrin glue to seal suture lines of cardiac and vascular structures.

Material and methods
The early results of 62 patients who underwent complex cardiac operations in extracorporeal circulation were analysed. In a half of them Vivostat autologous fibrin sealant in addition to the routine haemostatic agents was applied (study group), whereas in the second group (matched-pair control group) only standard haemostatics were used. Among many other factors, special attention was paid to postoperative drainage and blood products used.

Results
The mean age of the patients and prevalence of comorbidities did not differ between groups. Generally, in the study group fewer haemostatic agents were used. For example, Preveleak tissue glue was applied in 3.2% of studied cases compared to one third of control patients (p = 0.008). The thoracic drainage on either day 0 or day 1 was also similar. The number of patients who received blood products did not differ between groups. More importantly, there were no significant differences in in-hospital mortality and prevalence of other postoperative complications.

Conclusions
In this study it was found that application of autologous fibrin glue was safe and might limit use of standard haemostatic agents. Taking into account the lack of potential threats related to the transmission of infections and immune responses, it may be an interesting alternative to the previously used local haemostatics.