Effect of Continuous Versus Interrupted Suturing on Wound Dehiscence and Infection After Abdominal Surgery

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether the type of suturing technique used to close the abdomen after exploratory laparotomy affects the rate of wound complications. Specifically, the study aims to find out if using interrupted sutures results in fewer cases of wound dehiscence (wound reopening) compared to continuous sutures.

The main question the study seeks to answer is:

Does interrupted suturing reduce the frequency of wound dehiscence compared to continuous suturing in patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy?

Researchers will also observe and compare wound infection rates between the two suturing methods.

About 80 adult patients (18-60 years old) undergoing exploratory laparotomy at the Department of General Surgery, DHQ Teaching Hospital, Dera Ghazi Khan, will take part in this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Group A: Continuous abdominal closure using No. 1 Vicryl suture

Group B: Interrupted abdominal closure using No. 1 Vicryl suture

All participants will have their baseline characteristics recorded, including age, gender, obesity, diabetes, and smoking status. The surgical technique and postoperative care will follow the hospital's standard protocols. After surgery, patients will be followed for four weeks with weekly clinical assessments to check for wound infection or wound dehiscence.

The hypothesis is that patients whose abdominal wounds are closed with interrupted sutures will have a lower frequency of wound dehiscence compared to those with continuous sutures.

The findings will help guide surgeons on which abdominal closure method provides better wound healing and fewer postoperative complications.

Conditions

• Laparotomy Closure After Abdominal Surgery
• Wound Infection, Surgical
• Dehiscence of Laparotomy Wound
• Suture, Interrupted
• Continuous Suture

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Continuous suturing

After an exploratory laparotomy continuous suturing using a single thread of Vicryl No. 1 will be used to stitch the incision's fascial layer together, 1 cm distance from wound edges and between each stitch, creating a line of even tension across the wound.

PROCEDURE

Interrupted suturing

After an exploratory laparotomy, interrupted suturing using a single thread of Vicryl No. 1 will be used to stitch the incision's fascial layer together, 1 cm distance from wound edges and between each stitch. A knot will be tied after each suture is passed through the tissue, and each stitch will be secured with its own knot.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital

  lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

• Malik N Fareed, FCPS · Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital Dera Ghazi Khan

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-09-11

Primary Completion

2025-03-10

Completion

2025-03-10

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations