The Routine Use of Running Subcuticular Closures in Orthopaedic Trauma Patients Does Not Increase Wound Complications

To investigate whether the routine use of running subcuticular closures (RSC) in orthopaedic trauma patients increases the rate of wound complications and reoperations.

Retrospective comparative study.

Urban Level 1 trauma center.

Two hundred sixty-six patients undergoing orthopaedic trauma procedures between June 2020 and March 2022.

Adoption of an RSC protocol where any incision/wound that could be approximated with interrupted subcuticular 2-0 monofilament sutures was closed with a running subcuticular 3-0 monofilament suture.

Wound complications and subsequent reoperations.

With adoption of the RSC protocol, 91.0% of all orthopaedic trauma procedures were closed with RSC compared with 7.5% of the historical control group. There were no observed differences in the rate of wound complications (proportional difference (PD) 6.0%, confidence interval (CI) -2.3% to 14.1%; P = 0.15) or reoperations (PD 5.2%, CI -1.9% to 12.2%; P = 0.14) between the RSC and the control group. Wound complications were not associated with RSC on univariate analysis (PD 7.2%, CI -10.0% to 24.0%; P = 0.41). On multivariate analysis, an ASA>2 (odds ratio (OR) 2.4, CI 1.0 to 5.7; P = 0.03), lower extremity injuries (OR 4.9, CI 1.3 to 17.8; P = 0.01), and open reduction internal fixation procedures (OR 2.8, CI 1.1 to 7.2; P = 0.02) were found to be independently associated with wound complications.

RSC for orthopaedic trauma procedures was not associated with increased wound complications when compared a historical cohort.

Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.