TITLE:
New-Fangled Slowly-Absorbable versus Non-Absorbable Sutures for Abdominal Fascial Closure. Have the Goals towards an Advantageous Suture Been Met?
AUTHORS:
Georgios Anthimidis, Marios Gregoriou, Thomas Stavrakis, Kalliopi Vasiliadou, Ioannis Lyras, Kostas Ioannidis, George Basdanis
KEYWORDS:
Abdominal Closure; Suture Material; Midline Laparotomy
JOURNAL NAME:
Surgical Science,
Vol.4 No.6,
May
30,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background-Aim: The technique of abdominal closure along with the material to be
used is constantly evolving. The aim of the present study is to
evaluate differences in midline laparotomy closure with a standard closure
technique and new-fangled slow-absorbable versus non-absorbable sutures. Material
and Methods: A prospective, comparative
study of patients undergoing laparotomy closure
with either STARDIOX (Polydioxanone) or STARLENE (Polypropylene) sutures during
a 9 month period was performed. Patients were evaluated and compared in
terms of surgical site infection, incisional hernia, burst abdomen, and suture sinus
formation. Results: A total of 284 patients were
included [141 in the STARDIOX
(Polydioxanone) group and 143 in
the STARLENE (Polypropylene) group]. Sinus formation was not noticed and no palpable
knots were reported in both groups. Moreover burst abdomen was never
encountered. Incisional hernia rates were similar for both suture materials: n = 6 (4.3%) for the STARDIOX (Polydioxanone) group and n = 5 (3.5%) for
the STARLENE (Polypropylene) group. There was not statistically significant
relationship between the type of suture that was used and wound infection: n = 5 (3.5%) in the STARDIOX
(Polydioxanone) group and n = 6 (4.2%) in the STARLENE (Polypropylene) group.
Complications did not occur in 96.1% of all patients. Conclusions: Our study suggests that there are
no significant differences between these two new-fangled sutures. It seems that progress of suture materials has led to a step towards the goals of a
beneficial suture and from then on complications of surgical wound closure
should be merely a matter of operative technique.