Comparative Analysis of Suture and Staples as Methods of Wound Closure in Orthopedic Surgery.

Background: Within the realm of surgical decision-making, wound closure material is frequently overlooked. Recent findings from a meta-analysis indicate a heightened risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) associated with the use of staples for wound closure. However, the impact of closure material on non-infectious wound complications remains less defined. In this study, we aim to compare sutures and staples with regard to the clinical outcome of wound closure using the Hollander wound evaluation score (HWES) and Visual analogue patient satisfaction scale (VAS). Materials & Methods: In this randomized prospective study, 60 patients with closed fractures were divided randomly into two groups with 30 patients in each - Group A: Suture, Group B: Staple and evaluated for their wound closure outcome at the 4th and 12th week using HWES and VAS. Result: Group B had a shorter mean closure time (6.8 minutes) compared to Group A (11.3 minutes), but the time to heal was slightly longer in Group B (12 days) than in Group A (11 days). While the cost of materials was higher in Group B than Group A, there were more cases of infection (5 cases) and wound dehiscence (6 cases) in Group B compared to Group A (3 cases each). Additionally, the pain experienced during removal, as per VAS, was higher in Group B (3.1) than in Group A (1.9). However, the assessment of overall cosmesis at 4 and 12 weeks favored Group B (2.1) over Group A (3.2). Conclusion: Sutures vs. Staples in orthopedic surgery in our study show similar healing times, but staples show higher infection risk and cost but overall better cosmesis; sutures have less pain during removal. Further research is needed for conclusive guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]