Impact of solubility on laser tissue-welding with albumin solid solders.
OBJECTIVE
The correlation between the solubility of solid albumin solders and their laser weld strength was investigated.


METHODS
Sections of dog intestine were laser welded with soluble or insoluble solid strips of solder. Two different treatments were followed for tissue soldering: "wet weld" and "dry weld." These treatments were chosen to assess the impact of solubility on the repair strength. The laser power and radiation dose were 0.14 W and 14 J/mg, respectively. Calorimetric measures of solders were also performed.


RESULTS
The moisture on the tissue partially dissolved the soluble strips at the tissue interface. Hence, the repair strength of the soluble solder was significantly stronger than the repair strength of the insoluble solder (0.22 N and 0.06 N, P < 0.0001). Temperature (approximately 70 degrees C) and enthalpy variation (approximately 1.4 J/g) for denaturing the soluble and insoluble solders were not significantly different (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The soluble solid solder behaved like dense liquid solder at the tissue interface. Hence, the interface strength of these two forms of solder should be similar. This correlation made it possible to identify an intrinsic limit for the weld strength of albumin solders.
Lauto
A
A
Department of Urology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York 10021, USA. pisani@hotmail.com
Stewart
R
R
Ohebshalom
M
M
Nikkoi
N D
ND
Felsen
D
D
Poppas
D P
DP
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004285:Dogs; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000601:surgery*; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D012995:Solubility
D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine