TESTING METHOD FOR MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF FIBRIN GLUE

A testing method was developed to evaluate the mechanical properties of a fibrin adhesive in an effort to correlate mechanical strength to fibrinogen content. Autologous fibrin adhesives with varying fibrinogen content were loaded to failure in shear using a mechanical testing machine. The method developed was capable of distinguishing a mechanical strength difference among the three fibrin sample lots used in the study. A number of parameters were evident that could lead to testing variability. The development of a more sophisticated component delivery system would greatly reduce the variability of these parameters and thus, the product reliability. Ultimately, the information gathered from the current and future studies will form a type of quality control standard to directly correlate the percentage of fibrinogen in a particular sample to its adhesive performance. (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.