Absorbable vs Non-Absorbable sutures in Hand Surgery

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Absorbable vs Non-absorbable Sutures for Skin Closure in Elective and Emergency Hand Surgery - Is there a Difference in Complication rate, wound Inflammation and Scar appearance.

• IRAS ID

  321262

• Contact name

  Benjamin Miranda

• Contact email

  ben.miranda@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Hand surgery can be divided into elective and emergency. Both absorbable and non absorbable sutures are used in both subtypes of hand surgery, however there is a lack of consensus on which suture material is better for patients.

  The aim of the study would be to randomise both elective and emergency hand surgery patients into an absorbable and non absorbable group.

  The four treatment groups are:

  Elective hand surgery, absorbable suture skin closure
  Elective hand surgery, non-absorbable suture skin closure
  Emergency hand surgery, absorbable suture skin closure
  Emergency hand surgery, non-absorbable suture skin closure

  These patients would then be followed up in dressing clinic, where their wounds would be photographed with consent, and any evidence of wound breakdown, wound infection, and scar appearance would be recorded.

  In addition their wounds would be photographed in their first outpatient clinic appointment which usually occurs 4-6 weeks post surgery. By demonstrating the appearance of the patient's hand surgery scars at two points in time, a reliable comparison can be made between the two suture material types.

• REC name

  London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/LO/0296

• Date of REC Opinion

  13 Apr 2023

• REC opinion

  Unfavourable Opinion