Closure of Gastrointestinal Perforations With Cyanoacrylate Tissue Adhesive

IN THE combat or mass casualty situation rapid and safe repairs of the injured gastrointestinal tract are important. Conventional suture closure by inverting the serosal edges of the wound is time-consuming. A method has been developed for achieving nonsuture patch closure of gastrointestinal wounds utilizing other portions of the intestinal serosal surface and using a homologous series of α-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives.

Materials and Methods  Forty adult mongrel dogs of both sexes ranging from 15 to 30 kg were used. N-butyl-cyanoacrylate and a monomer mixture of 95% heptyl- and 5% methyl-cyanoacrylate were studied. Application of tissue adhesive was by a spray gun. All dogs were fed a normal laboratory diet and given water ad libitum. The principles of laboratory animal care as promulgated by the National Society for Medical Research were observed. All operations were carried out under sterile techniques with the animals under anesthesia induced by sodium pentobarbital administered