Nylon sutures versus skin staples in foot and ankle surgery: is there a clinical difference?

Fixation of the Compressive Dressing for Nipple-areola Complex Graft during Double Incision Chest Contouring Surgery for Assigned-female-at-birth Persons with Diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria: Sutures or Staples?

Background

When transplanting skin grafts, a compressive dressing is usually used to hold the skin graft in place. Dressing fixation can be achieved with either sutures or staples. The purpose of this study was to compare sutures and staples as a method of fixation for the compressive dressings of the nipple-areola complex (NAC) grafts, during double incision chest contouring surgery in assigned-female-at-birth persons with diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The two methods of fixation were compared according to pain at removal, time consumption, difficulty of removal, costs, and sustainability.

Methods

Forty patients were randomized to dressing fixation with either sutures or staples. Timing for dressing fixation during surgery and removing the dressing was measured. Pain during removal was measured using vNRS-11. Difficulty of removal was measured with VAS-100. Costs of materials were compared.

Results

All NAC grafts survived, and no complications such as infection or bleeding occurred. Staples were significantly more painful to remove when compared to sutures [mean vNRS-11 2.98 (SD ± 2.43) versus 1.25 (SD ± 0.92), P < 0.001]. Fixation with staples was faster than fixation with sutures (5.3 versus 94.6 s). No difference in removal time was found. Nurses found staples easier to remove. Sutures were slightly less costly (18 SEK) compared to staples (30 SEK). Finally, sutures produce less material waste.

Conclusion

Being that all other outcomes are similar or insignificant, the less-pain experienced at removal of sutures makes this the preferable method for fixation of the compressive dressing for NAC grafts during double incision chest contouring surgery.

Foot and Ankle Surgical Incision Closure With Three Different Materials

There is no clear recommendation for wound closure material in foot and ankle surgery. Thus, we hypothesized that there was no difference in clinical outcomes among 3 suture materials, namely, absorbable sutures, nonabsorbable sutures, and metallic staples. This study compared the 3 materials for wound closure in foot and ankle surgery. In this prospective randomized study, 124 patients were randomly divided into the nonabsorbable suture group, absorbable suture group, and staple group. ASEPSIS score, Hollander Wound Evaluation Scale, and numerical rating scale (regarding pain and satisfaction) were collected at first dressing changes, suture removal, and 6 weeks after surgery. Suture time and incision length were recorded. No significant differences were detected for the ASEPSIS and Hollander Wound Evaluation Scale scores. There was significantly more pain after 6 weeks in the nonabsorbable suture group. The closure time (13 s/cm) with staples was significantly lower in the nonabsorbable suture group than in the other groups. Regardless of wound closure material, male sex and obesity appeared to be associated with a higher risk for the occurrence of wound complications. The 3 suture materials showed no significant differences regarding the frequency of wound complications. Staples and absorbable sutures should therefore be considered in the repertoire of suture materials used in foot and ankle surgery.

Wound Closure Following Intervention for Closed Orthopedic Trauma

The method of skin closure and post-operative wound management has always been important in orthopedic surgery and plays an even larger role now that surgical site infection (SSI) is a national healthcare metric for both surgeons and hospitals. Wound related issues remain some of the most feared complications following orthopedic trauma procedures and are associated with significant morbidity. In order to minimize the risk of surgical site complications, surgeons must be familiar with the physiology of wound healing as well as the patient and surgical factors affecting healing potential. The goal of all skin closure techniques is to promote rapid healing with acceptable cosmesis, all while minimizing risk of infection and dehiscence. Knowledge of the types of closure material, techniques of wound closure, surgical dressings, negative pressure wound therapy, and other local modalities is important to optimize wound healing. There is no consensus in the literature as to which closure method is superior but the available data can be used to make informed choices. Although often left to less experienced members of the surgical team, the process of wound closure and dressing the wound should not be an afterthought, and instead must be part of the surgical plan. Wounds that are in direct communication with bony fractures are particularly at risk due to local tissue trauma, resultant swelling, hematoma formation, and injured vasculature.

Skin closure with surgical staples in ankle fractures: a safe and reliable method

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to examine the rates of surgical site complications of staple closure versus suture closure following open reduction and internal fixation of closed unstable ankle fractures.

METHODS

Between 2014 and 2016, a total of 545 patients with closed ankle fractures were treated at our level-1 trauma centre by means of open reduction and internal fixation. A total of 360 patients matched the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis of this study. This included 119 patients undergoing wound closure using sutures and 241 patients using surgical staples. The demographics, clinical data, and injury characteristics were recorded. The primary outcome measure was the adverse event of any type of surgical site complication.

RESULTS

The overall rate of patients with a surgical site complication was 15.6%. There was a trend towards a higher risk of surgical site complication in patients undergoing wound closure with sutures as compared with staples (20.2% versus 13.3%); however, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.0897). The rate of superficial surgical site infection also trended higher in patients undergoing wound closure with sutures versus staples without demonstrating statistical significance (10.1% versus 5%, P = 0.0678). The rate of deep surgical site infection was similar in both groups.

CONCLUSION

The use of metal staples remains controversial in the setting of orthopedic surgery, particularly involving the foot and ankle. The current study supports that metal staples are a safe and reliable option in the closure of traumatic ankle fractures.

The use of the Scar Cosmesis Assessment and rating scale to evaluate the cosmetic outcomes of totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery

Background

Conventional median sternotomy is widely used in cardiac surgery, while thoracoscopic cardiac surgery, which is considered to have aesthetic advantages, is being performed increasingly more often in China because patients’ requests for minimally invasive procedures yielding aesthetically pleasing results have significantly increased. Few studies have been conducted to assess surgical scars after cardiac surgery. Compared to the median sternotomy approach, multiple-incision totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery requires smaller but numerous and scattered incisions. In addition to two working ports on the upper and lower margins of the right breast, an inguinal incision and an axillary incision are made. Therefore, does totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery truly have aesthetic advantages? This study has the following objectives: (a) to compare median sternotomy cardiac surgery and total thoracoscopic cardiac surgery in terms of the long-term cosmetic outcomes of post-operative scars and (b) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating scale in combination with the numeric rating scale in the assessment of surgical scars after cardiac surgery.

Methods

Consecutive patients who visited our institution from January 2019 to May 2019 for cardiac surgery via median sternotomy or the totally thoracoscopic approach and followed up for at least one year were included. Inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and convergent validity were evaluated for the Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating scale and the numeric rating scale. Clinical characteristics and the scores of the two scales were compared between the two groups using Student’s t test or the Mann-Whitney U test.

Results

Thirty-one patients underwent cardiac surgery via the totally thoracoscopic approach, and 42 patients underwent cardiac surgery via the median sternotomy approach. No significant differences were found in the demographic or clinical data between the two groups. The validity and reliability of the two scales were satisfactory. For the Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating scale, the median sternotomy group scored statistically significantly higher than did the totally thoracoscopic group on the “overall impression” and “patient question” subscales (P < 0.05). The overall scores of the Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating scale and numeric rating scale were statistically significantly different (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating scale in combination with the numeric rating scale is an effective tool for the assessment of scar aesthetics after cardiac surgery. Surgical scars of totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery can yield desirable cosmetic outcomes in Chinese individuals, especially in susceptible individuals with a high risk of keloid and hypertrophic scars. Patients with appropriate indications can undergo cardiac surgery with the totally thoracoscopic approach and exhibit a satisfactory scar appearance.