Self-locking knot for thoracic wall closure in trauma anterolateral thoracotomy: a retrospective cohort study
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Luis Felipe Cabrera Vargas1, Isabella Garavis Montagut2, María Isabella Zúñiga Velasquez2
1General Surgeon and Vascular Surgeon, Fundación Santa Fé de Bogotá. Carrera 7 # 123 - 35. Bogotá, Colombia.
Background:
Thoracic trauma is one of the most frequent reasons for consultation in emergency departments worldwide. Surgical management of unstable injuries remains a challenge for trauma surgeons, as current evidence regarding chest wall closure techniques does not yet support a clear consensus. Although multiple techniques have been described, no single approach has been universally adopted.
Methods:
We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing the results for operative time, surgical site infection and postoperative pain between closures using the self-locking knot versus the rib approximator.
Results:
Our results demonstrate a difference between the 2 techniques analyzed that could be significant in terms of postoperative pain (18% for the self-locking knot group vs 65% for the rib approximator), surgical site infections (0% vs 9%, respectively) and operative time (100 versus 110 min, respectively).
Conclusion:
The self-locking knot technique could be considered a promising option for the intercostal space after anterolateral thoracotomy closure. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.