Feasibility of an improved knotless method of chest drain wound closure:a prospective cohort clinical trial
Lei Zhao1, Longfei Wang2, Jin Wang1
1The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Objective:
Chest tube management plays a key role in minimising erioperative period. We have improved the knotless method to chest tube wounds. In this article, we demonstrate the clinical bility and safety of this method.
Method:
From 13 October 2018-3 January 2019, patients were ecutively included in our study at the First Affiliated Hospital of n Medical University, Dalian, China. They were separated into approximately equally sized groups-the knotless group and the entional group. Our improved knotless method was performed ose the chest tube wounds of patients in the knotless group, and onventional method using the pre-existing U-shaped string to the chest tube wounds of patients in the conventional group. Patient clinical information, tube-related complications, retreatment s and cosmetic scores were compared between the groups.
Results:
The cohort comprised 102 patients; 47 in the knotless group and 55 in the conventional group. There were no statistically significant differences in patient clinical information or tube-related complications between the two groups (p>0.05; both comparisons). In the knotless group, retreatment times were shorter (p<0.001) and cosmetic scores were higher (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
This study showed that our new knotless method is safe and has wide clinical feasibility. The new method also improved patient cosmetic scores. Furthermore, it decreased the patients' economic burdens.
