Is time to closure a factor in the occurrence of infection in traumatic wounds? A prospective cohort study in a Dutch level 1 trauma centre.
BACKGROUND
The dogma that traumatic wounds should not be sutured after 6 h is based on an animal experiment by P L Friedrich in 1898. There is no adequately powered prospective study on this cut-off of 6 h to confirm or disprove the dogma. The aim of this study was to provide evidence against the dogma that wounds should be sutured within 6 h after trauma.


METHODS
425 patients were included in a prospective cohort study. Patients' wounds were closed, independent of time after trauma. All patients were seen after 7-10 days for removal of stitches and wound control on infection.


RESULTS
Of the 425 patients, 17 were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 408 patients, 45 had wounds older than 6 h after trauma. At follow-up 372 patients (91%) had no infection and 36 patients had redness of the suture sites or worse. 11 patients (2.7%) had general redness or pus. Of those with a wound older than 6 h, three of 45 (6.7%) wounds were infected, versus 30 of 363 (9.1%) in wounds younger than 6 h (p=0.59).


CONCLUSIONS
In everyday practice wounds are sutured regardless of elapsed time. Here an attempt was made to present the evidence for this daily routine, contrary to Friedrich's Dogma.
van den Baar
Mark T M
MT
Department of Surgery and Microbiology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. vandenbaar@hotmail.com
van der Palen
Job
J
Vroon
Marianne I
MI
Bertelink
Paul
P
Hendrix
Ron
R
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014193:Trauma Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*