title: Can sutures get wet? Prospective randomised controlled trial of wound management in general practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare standard management of keeping wounds dry and covered with allowing wounds to be uncovered and wet in the first 48 hours after minor skin excision.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomised controlled, multicentre trial testing for equivalence of infection rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary care in regional centre, Queensland, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  857 patients randomised to either keep their wound dry and covered (n = 442) or remove the dressing and wet the wound (n = 415).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of infection in the intervention group (8.4%) was not inferior to the incidence in the control group (8.9%) (P < 0.05). The one sided 95% confidence interval for the difference of infection rates was infinity to 0.028.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that wounds can be uncovered and allowed to get wet in the first 48 hours after minor skin excision without increasing the incidence of infection.
authors.affiliation: James Cook University, Queensland, Australia. clarshel@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heal
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buettner
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raasch
authors.forename: Sheldon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Browning
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bidgood
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cruikshank
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009779:Occlusive Dressings; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology*; D013537:Sutures; D014945:Wound Healing