title: Negative side-effects of retention sutures for abdominal wound closure. A prospective randomised study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of retention sutures on the postoperative course of patients after major abdominal operations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomised study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital, Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  95 patients who were at increased risk of wound failure after major abdominal operations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conventional mass closure either with (n = 44) or without (n = 51) reinforcement by wire retention sutures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pain intensity on postoperative days 3, 6, 9, and 12, patients' acceptance, retention-suture-related morbidity, general morbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative pain was overall more severe with retention sutures. On day 6, 31/49 control patients but only 13/41 patients with retention sutures were pain-free (p = 0.003, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.51). Twelve of 44 patients with retention sutures developed local complications of the sutures, and 21 of the 44 had to have them removed prematurely, in most cases because of intolerable pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Retention sutures used to close abdominal wounds cause inconvenience, pain, and specific morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Leverkusen General Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Rink
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldschmidt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagelschmidt
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Vestweber
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000601:surgery*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures / Q000009:adverse effects*