Abstract
Objective
Excessive use of activator (formaldehyde + glutaraldehyde) may cause late complications after use of gelatin-resorcin-formalin (GRF) glue during surgery. The goal of the study was to define the appropriate ratio of activator to adhesive and to establish an approach for accurate control of this ratio.
Methods
The relation between adhesive force and the activator/adhesive ratio was studied by attaching two sheets of equine pericardium using GRF glue, with ratios from 1: 50 to 1: 2. The amount of activator was measured per drip from the needle in the GRF glue kit and other needles (27, 25, 23, 22, and 21 gauge).
Results
The adhesive force was about 400 gram-weight (gw) for activator/adhesive ratios from 1: 50 to 1: 20. This force showed a significant increase to 1317 ± 462 gw for a ratio of 1: 10 compared to the force at a ratio 1: 20 (P = 0.0069) but did not increase significantly for ratios above 1: 10. The activator volume was 12.5 μl in one drip from the needle in the GRF glue kit and 4.3 μl in one drip from the 27-gauge needle. Therefore, the 27-gauge needle is suitable for measuring the activator volume.
Conclusion
In vitro, an activator at a ratio of one-tenth the volume of the adhesive provides approximately maximum force; any more activator is residual and potentially harmful. Measurement of the activator volume using a 27-gauge needle and the adhesive volume using a syringe is recommended to control the ratio accurately.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Kunihara T, Shiiya N, Matsuzaki K, Murashita T, Matsui Y. Recommendation for appropriate use of GRF glue in the operation for acute aortic dissection. Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2008;14:88–95.
Suzuki M, Uchiyama T, Oikawa M, Takemura S, Matsuno S. Clinical application of GRF glue adhesive in liver surgery. Jpn J Gastroenterol Surg 2000;33:18–24.
Hata M, Shiono M, Sezai A, Iida M, Negishi N, Sezai Y. Type A acute aortic dissection: immediate and mid-term results of emergency aortic replacement with the aid of gelatin resorcin formalin glue. Ann Thorac Surg 2004;78:853–857.
Isoda S, Imoto K, Uchida K, Hashiyama N, Yanagi H, Tamagawa H, et al. Sandwich technique via right ventricle incision to repair postinfarction ventricular septal defect. J Card Surg 2004;19:149–150.
Hata H, Takano H, Matsumiya G, Fukushima N, Kawaguchi N, Sawa Y. Late complication of gelatin-resorcin-formalin glue in the repair of acute type A aortic dissection. Ann Thorac Surg 2007;83:1621–1626.
Aizawa K. Basic study regarding the polymerization reaction of gelatin-resorcin-formalin (GRF) glue. In: Data for GRF glue. Tokyo: Senko Ika Kogyo; 1996. p. 15–18.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Isoda, S., Kimura, T., Mashiko, Y. et al. In vitro study of the optimum volume ratio of activator to adhesive in gelatin-resorcin-formalin glue. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 59, 326–328 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-009-0552-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-009-0552-8