Comparing skin staples to sutures

In a prospective randomized study, 52 lacerations requiring closure in the emergency department were either stapled or sutured. Six participating emergency physicians closed the wounds and recorded data about the laceration and the treatment provided. Patients visited their own family physicians for removal of the closures. Forty family physicians removed closures from 44 lacerations and reported follow-up data on discomfort levels, ease of closure removal, and cosmetic results. Lacerations were closed 2.7 times faster by the staple method (p<0.001), and there were no clinically significant differences between the two methods with respect to discomfort, infection rates, cosmetic result, or ease of removal. The staple device we used was more expensive than sutures. We concluded that the staple method of closure is safe, comfortable, and effective in the emergency department setting, and that the method's speed offsets its greater expense in some circumstances.