Fibrin Glue -- Your Results

I'm scheduled to have my leak sealed with fibrin glue in 10 days. Does anyone have experience with attempts at gluing small leaks. Can you provide any information on your results?

Thanks

Hope everything goes well.  I have no experience with leaks...sorry!

fay

I have not heard of this but it does sound interesting as a possible solution.  I have heard of fibrinogen being used alond the gastric sleeve suture line during the intitial VSG.  How is the approach in your case via endoscopy?or laparoscopy?  I don't know if the pH of the stomach bears any effect on the ability of the fibrolytic process.  Have they been doing this very long?  Good luck and I hope that this is effective for you.  Keep us posted on your progress. 

 
Personally, I wouldn't do it.  There isn't a peer reviewed journal article out there that shows this glue actually works for leaks.  It DOES however, work for bleeding.  But nothing in the world that shows it works for leaks.  Some doctors use it during a sleeve to prevent leaks but their stats are no better than before they started using it but it 'sounds' good to patients.

Ask your doc for some peer reviewed literature showing how effective it is.  I'll bet you he doesn't come up with much. :o(

I'm really sorry you have gone through so much hell with your surgery.  Every bloody thing that could happen, did happen to you!  I don't think my heart has ever gone out to someone as much as you on these boards.  Most with complications just get one, you got stuck with them all!

(((HUGS)))

 
Oh... I do know someone that had a leak and tried the glue.  I'm not sure if I should post it or not, it doesn't really count.  She had like one of the two worst surgeons in Mexico so take it with a grain of salt.  Her phone is no longer in service but I would try emailing her.  If her email address still works (via sending her a PM) tell her I suggested you talk to her and I'm sure she'd be willing to chat with you on the phone.

www.obesityhelp.com/member/adee_baby/

They tried the fibrin glue twice on my leak and it didn't work!!

Good luck!

Donna

 I tried the fibrin glue also. Via endoscopy under twilight sedation in interventional radiology. 

It didn't work. But it really didn't hurt anything either. I was sitting around in the hospital and anything to get my hopes up was necessary. One reason it might not have worked for me, and why my leak took a while to heal, is that my drain was up too close to the leak.  So when they tried the fibrin, the suction just took it out and I could see the glue in my drain the next day. 

Best wishes to you! Sorry you have to go through all of this.

Hi Stacie..curious what did WORK in your case?
I HAVE read about the Jackson-Pratt Drain being too close to a leak, and leak never healing, till its repostioned.

Did they ever try a stent?  I know those sometimes can migrate...but Ive read sooo many abstracts on the efficacy of stents in leak repair.

Im wondering why JP drains are bein used sooo much  anymore...with such a slow healing rate...months and months...I don't get it....$$  ??

Your thoughts? ...thanks!

 I asked my surgeon to try a stent after reading journal articles. But he felt it was a last resort and had not had any luck with them. Too many complications with the possible migration.  After he said that I continued to research, as I was considering a second opinion, but I ended up finding more and more that the complications when they migrate aren't worth using them.

My story in a nutshell:

Surgery : 12/24
Leak found and emergency surgery, two drains placed: 1/9
Feeding tube (J-tube): 1/14
Fibrin attempt: 1/22
one of the drains out: 1/23
d/c from hospital 1/24

He said right away that he was going to slowly retract the drain, while the leak was healing.  He was worried that an abscess would form (he wanted to maintain a fistula so that didn't happen) if it was pulled immediately. He needed it to be in to drain out the infection outside my stomach. And it definitely filled up with some nasty stuff, I was emptying it often, both in the hospital and at home. I don't think he ever realized how far in the drain was. For months I would go every two weeks, get an upper GI, get it pulled back and inch at a time. Finally he went with us to the upper GI and right away he saw it was up too close and pulled it back while under the xray. Two weeks later it was healed.  Next visit he came again (saw that it was healed) went to pull the drain back just a little bit more, but he still didn't want it out all the way. When he went to pull it, it just came right out all the way. That was in the top ten days of my life. I have never wanted anything out of my body more badly than that! 1/9 - 3/28. Kept the feeding tube in another week and a half so I could add protein while I was trying to increase my diet. Hadn't eaten anything but liquids since 12/16 the previous year. 

Sorry to ramble. It is very therapeutic for me to reflect back and then appreciate how far I have come, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

All my best wishes to CidGrad. I hope it heals quickly and you are enjoying your sleeve in no time.

 Where is your leak? Mine was up high at the Gastroesophageal junction