Knotless suture and hydrocolloid method improves chest drain wound complication

Area of Science:

• Thoracic Surgery
• Wound Management
• Surgical Techniques

Background:

• Chest drain removal necessitates effective wound closure.
• Traditional methods like mattress sutures involve ligation and removal.
• Knotless suture offers a potentially simpler alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of knotless suture versus mattress suture for chest drain wound closure.
• To evaluate wound closure success and complication rates.
• To assess the clinical performance of knotless suture in thoracic surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective comparison of 117 patients using knotless suture (Oct 2020-Apr 2021) with 115 patients using mattress suture (Oct 2018-Apr 2019).
• Both groups underwent thoracic surgery.
• Outcomes analyzed included wound closure status and drain wound complications.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in initial wound closure was observed.
• Chest drain wound infection rate was significantly lower with knotless suture (0%) compared to mattress suture (5.2%; p=0.01).
• Delayed drain wound healing was also significantly lower with knotless suture (0.9%) versus mattress suture (7.0%; p=0.02).

Conclusions:

• Knotless suture closure demonstrates superior outcomes regarding wound complications compared to conventional mattress suture.
• The absence of ligation and suture removal enhances the utility of knotless suturing.
• Knotless suture is a promising technique for chest drain site closure in thoracic surgery.