Study shows insufficient decrease in wound complications with sutured versus stapled skin closure in gastrointestinal operations

Commentary on: Tsujinaka T, Yamamoto K, Fujita J, et al.. Subcuticular sutures versus staples for skin closure after open gastrointestinal surgery: a phase 3, multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2013;382:1105–12. Context Postoperative wound complications can occur in 9–26% of gastrointestinal operations.1–3 Skin closure with subcuticular sutures in clean operations, such as caesarean sections, are associated with decreased wound complications and increased patient satisfaction when compared with skin closure using staples.4 5 Whether these results are applicable to clean–contaminated operations is unknown. Tsujinaka and colleagues examined the incidence of wound complications after open gastrointestinal operations in patients undergoing skin closure with subcuticular sutures versus staples. Methods This multicentre unblinded randomised controlled trial included patients, aged ≥20 years and with adequate organ function, undergoing elective open gastrointestinal operations. Exclusion criteria included emergent operations, prior midline laparotomy, corticosteroid...
Source: Evidence-Based Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Patients, Clinical trials (epidemiology), Immunology (including allergy), Drugs: cardiovascular system, Stroke, Dermatology, Diabetes, Injury Therapeutics Source Type: research