Closure of the abdominal wound with single-layer and double-layer technique. Animal studies

An experimental investigation on rabbits was designed to determine which closure technique, single-layer or double-layer, gave the most secure closure of abdominal wall wounds. Interrupt Prolene sutures size 6-0 were used, and the wounds were tested mechanically in a materials testing machine on the 6th, 15th and 56th day after wounding. The results showed that the double-layer closed wound had, when tested after removal of sutures, a greater strength and higher energy absorption compared to the single-layer closed wound, which however had, when tested with sutures in situ, greater strength and higher energy absorption in the early post-operative phase. The possible explanations of these observations are discussed. Extrapolating from the animal experiments to the clinical situation, it can be concluded, that the double-layer technique was not to be preferred to the single-layer technique when securing a wound against rupture.