Can we use the same suture to close both skin and subcutaneous tissue after middle ear surgery?

Introduction Ear surgeries need closure of subcutaneous tissues and skin. Same suture may be used for both purposes if there are no wound complications.

Objectives To assess the wound complications in patients who had same suture vs. different sutures for closure of skin and subcutaneous tissues.

Method Prospective cohort study comparing two groups was carried out to comparing wound redness, discharge and pain at postoperative day 1 and 5 by a trained nurse.

Results At postoperative fifth day there were no complications in both groups. Wound redness and pain scores at day one had no statistically significant difference between two groups. None had wound discharge.

Conclusion Same suture used for subcutaneous tissue suturing may be used for skin closure without increased rate of wound complications.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/cjo.v3i1.5212

Ceylon Journal of Otolaryngology Vol.3(1) 2013 pp.15-16