[Stapler suture or single button suture? A controlled clinical study on the comparison of both skin closure methods]

In a controlled randomized clinical trial, skin closure with a skin-stapling technique was compared with interrupted sutures on 50 patients (26 sutured and 24 stapled). The two groups were similar in all important respects. The clinical side of the study was to compare 1) the cosmetic results, 2) the time taken to close the skin, and 3) advantages and disadvantages of the two techniques by a questionnaire completed by the clinical staff. The study suggested a cosmetic advantage for the stapling when the results at 6th postop. week were compared. The only significant difference was in cross hatching (22 out of 26 sutured wounds but none of the 24 stapled) which was predominantly visible in sutured wounds. A clear difference was found in operating time. Skin closure with interrupted sutures took 310s, compared with 122s for stapling (alpha = 0,001). Similarly time required to remove the closure material was less with the staples than with sutures. Staples are more expensive than sutures. However the advantage of the staples over the suture in avoiding cross hatching is significant as well as time saving.