Preparation of fibrin glue: a study of chemical and physical methods.

Concentrated fibrinogen was prepared from whole blood by cryoprecipitation or chemical precipitation and combined with thrombin to make fibrin glue (FG). Surgical applications of FG include control of bleeding, adhesion of tissues, and sealing of tissue defects. The purpose of this study was to compare cryoprecipitation (cryo) of fibrinogen to precipitation using ethanol, ammonium sulfate (AS), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Our results suggest that AS precipitation is as effective as cryo in yielding fibrin glues with high bond strengths and is more effective than ethanol and PEG precipitation. In addition, the volume of FG per milliliter of plasma is greater after AS precipitation than after a single freeze-thaw cycle. It is concluded that AS is an efficient means for preparing FG from autologous blood.