What is the difference between staples and sutures

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Today, new technologies have eliminated the this-or-that nature of wound closure methods. BandGrip is a 3. In addition, scarring is less pronounced, leaving patients more satisfied with the results of their procedure and their surgeon.

The photos below highlight the scar-reduction abilities of BandGrip. In most patients, stapling also makes their scar more pronounced and darker in color, especially if the staples are left in for a while. With BandGrip, wound closure can be better aligned, resulting in a more seamless appearance, with much less pronounced scarring.

BandGrip is also a time-saver; the bandage can be applied by a wide range of healthcare professionals without the involvement of the surgeon—which also makes it a life saver. Your doctor will follow special procedures and use specific tools in order to safely remove surgical staples without causing complications. You may feel a tugging or pinching sensation as each staple is removed. Some staples may stay inside your body permanently. This is often done to keep internal organ tissues connected and resistant to further damage.

Surgical staples are used to close surgical incisions or wounds that are too big or complex to close with traditional stitches. Using staples can decrease the time needed to complete surgery and can be less painful. Staples may be simpler, stronger, and speedier to use to close large, open wounds than traditional stitches, and may be used after major surgery. For example, staples are often used after C-sections because they help the incision heal faster while also reducing scar appearance. Surgical staplers look more like commercial-grade construction staplers with a handle and lever that your doctor pushes down to place the staple.

Surgeons use these specially designed staplers to safely, quickly, and precisely place surgical staples on a wound. The process is much faster than stitching or suturing because the staples are placed instantly. Staples have a number of advantages over stitches for especially large or complex surgeries, injuries, or incisions. In some cases, they may even lower your chances of complications like infection.

Talk to your doctor before getting staples. A smoking history was also obtained. A trained research assistant or orthopaedic surgery resident collected patient data on case report forms which were later entered into an electronic database MS Excel, Microsoft, Redmond, WA. Allocation of patients to treatment groups occurred at the completion of deep wound closure using sequentially-numbered opaque envelopes with randomization sequence generated by the principle investigator using Microsoft Excel Redmond, WA.

Any participant felt to be endangered by the use of one closure method was withdrawn from the study prior to allocation. After completion of the procedure, deep tissues were closed with absorbable braided suture Polysorb, Covidien, Mansfield, MA. In all patients the subcutaneous tissue was also closed with an absorbable braided suture.

Patients allocated to the sutures intervention had their wounds closed using the suture material chosen by the primary surgeon. The primary surgeon also decided on the most appropriate technique of closure. Those allocated to the staples group were closed using a commercially-available stapler Weck Visistat 35W, Limerick, PA. Closure material was removed, when necessary, during a wound check two weeks after surgery by medical staff or orthopedic technologists.

Patients were blinded to treatment allocation by use of an adhesive bandage or plaster which remained in place until the first planned post-operative visit when the closure material was removed or the wound was checked, including the removal of steristrips in the case of absorbable subcuticular closure.

During closure material removal the wound was hidden from the view of the patient when necessary to maintain blinding. Immediately prior to unblinding patients completed an outcome assessment survey including a questionnaire determining complication occurance and a mm VAS pain scale. Pain measurements were normalized to worst pain imaginable reported by the patient.

Wound complications were identified by hospital staff during the post-operative inpatient stay and were reported by patients at two- and six-week follow-up appointments in a survey conducted by the study coordinator.

Patients were asked whether they had taken antibiotics, required dressing changes or a re-operation at two- and six-week follow-up appointments, with affirmative answers resulting in further questioning to confirm the type of complication that had occurred. Suspected infections were defined as: reoperation, use of intravenous antibiotics or patient report of use of oral antibiotics related directly to the surgical procedure.

Wound drainage, necrosis, dehiscence and suture abscess were suspected when dressing changes or additional medical treatment was reported by the patient. The hospital and clinic charts of all suspected infections and five negative controls were reviewed by an orthopaedic surgeon to confirm the diagnosis of surgical site infection as defined by the CDC.

Secondary outcome measures of time taken to close wounds and pain with wound closure removal were also collected. The primary outcome was a composite measure of all-cause, patient-reported wound complications. Strata-specific relative risks were calculated for each anatomic site using the primary outcome measure. A total of patients were randomized, 69 in the staples group and 79 in the sutures group.

There was no significant difference in baseline parameters between the two randomized groups. The characteristics of patients and anatomic locations of the surgical sites are summarized in Table 1. The types of procedures performed are presented in Figure 2. There was no difference between the groups in mean surgical time However, the time to close wounds was significantly shorter in the staples group compared to the sutures group 4.

Expressed as a percentage of the total operative time the difference in closure time remains significant between the sutures and staples groups 7. Stratification of the results by surgical site or type of procedure revealed no difference between groups Table 3. Review of the charts of all suspected infections confirmed two infections, one in a sutured wound and one in a stapled wound.

At 2-week follow-up, patients in the staples group reported more pain with removal than the sutures group 3. However, by six weeks follow-up the difference in recalled pain was no longer significant. The incidence of wound complications after orthopaedic surgery is not well defined.

SSIs cause disability and increase treatment costs exponentially[ 2 ]. However, the impact of non-infectious complications has not yet been well defined. The preceding pilot study aimed to determine the number of patients necessary to determine the safest wound closure material for a variety of orthopaedic procedures. The time to close wounds and pain with removal of closure material were also compared.