Elastic rubber strips to heal large wounds of the body wall

Closure of large wounds is a difficult surgical challenge. This article reports on the effective closure of large surgical wounds using elastic rubber strips.

One to 3 circular elastic rubber strips were sutured by applying moderate tension to the opposite edges of 30 large wounds in 28 patients. The strips were sutured in a successive "X" fashion by crossing one over the other. These rubber strips were replaced when they ruptured or after their tension had reduced because of the closure of the wounds.

Complete closure of the wounds was achieved with no further need for any surgical procedure or device. One patient with laparostomy and colostomy presented with difficulty on adapting the colostomic bag, and the rubber strips were removed. The rubber strip had little effect on a large wound of the skull. In the late postoperative follow-up, 3 of the 15 closed laparostomies developed incisional hernias, and all these patients were subjected to hernioplasties with good results.

The use of circular elastic rubber strips maintained at moderate tension is a simple, effective, and inexpensive surgical option for healing large wounds. It is readily available at any hospital and requires no extensive surgical experience.