Cochrane · systematic review · CD012124
Subcuticular sutures for skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
Goto, S, Sakamoto, T, Ganeko, R, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2020 · Cochrane Library
WoundsAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
35
current version
GRADE rated
32
No studies
3
Included studies
NR
No studies 3 · 8.6%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 14 · 40%Low 12 · 34.3%Moderate 5 · 14.3%High 1 · 2.9%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Subcuticular sutures compared with transdermal sutures for skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
Population: skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Surgical site infection (SSI) Incidence of wound infection Subcuticular sutures vs transdermal sutures | RR 1.1 [0.8, 1.52] | 20 studies · 3107 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Wound complications Incidence of wound complications Subcuticular sutures vs transdermal sutures | RR 0.83 [0.4, 1.71] | 9 studies · 1489 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Wound dehiscence Incidence of wound dehiscence Subcuticular sutures vs transdermal sutures | RR 0.35 [0.08, 1.54] | 6 studies · 866 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cosmesis of scar (cosmesis) Subcuticular sutures vs transdermal sutures | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 950 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Patient satisfaction (at 30 days) Subcuticular sutures vs transdermal sutures | MD 1.6 [1.32, 1.88] | 1 study · 290 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Wound closure time (minutes) Subcuticular sutures vs transdermal sutures | MD 5.81 [5.13, 6.49] | 2 studies · 585 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cost Subcuticular sutures vs transdermal sutures | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 100 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Subcuticular sutures compared with skin staples for skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
Population: skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Surgical site infection Incidence of wound infection Subcuticular sutures vs skin staples | RR 0.81 [0.64, 1.01] | 14 studies · 4163 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Wound complications Incidence of wound complications Subcuticular sutures vs skin staples | RR 0.79 [0.64, 0.98] | 9 studies · 2973 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Wound dehiscence Incidence of wound dehiscence Subcuticular sutures vs skin staples | RR 0.63 [0.43, 0.94] | 7 studies · 1984 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cosmesis of scar Subcuticular sutures vs skin staples | SMD 0.12 | 3 studies · 291 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Patient satisfaction (at 30 days) Subcuticular sutures vs skin staples | MD 0.2 [0.1, 0.3] | 1 study · 1232 participants | High |
Wound closure time (minutes) Subcuticular sutures vs skin staples | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 1384 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cost Subcuticular sutures vs skin staples | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 342 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Subcuticular sutures compared with tissue adhesives for skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
Population: skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Surgical site infection Incidence of wound infection Subcuticular sutures vs tissue adhesives | RR 0.77 [0.41, 1.45] | 10 studies · 869 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Wound complications Incidence of wound complications Subcuticular sutures vs tissue adhesives | RR 0.62 [0.35, 1.11] | 11 studies · 1058 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Wound dehiscence Incidence of wound dehiscence Subcuticular sutures vs tissue adhesives | RR 0.23 [0.07, 0.74] | 11 studies · 1155 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cosmesis of scar Subcuticular sutures vs tissue adhesives | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 99 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Patient satisfaction (within 30 days) Subcuticular sutures vs tissue adhesives | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 131 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Wound closure time (minutes) Subcuticular sutures vs tissue adhesives | no estimate extracted | 11 studies · 895 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cost Subcuticular sutures vs tissue adhesives | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 422 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Subcuticular sutures compared with surgical tapes for skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
Population: skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Surgical site infection Incidence of wound infection Subcuticular sutures vs surgical tapes | RR 1.31 [0.4, 4.27] | 6 studies · 354 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Wound complications Incidence of wound complications Subcuticular sutures vs surgical tapes | RR 0.9 [0.61, 1.34] | 5 studies · 492 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Wound dehiscence Incidence of wound dehiscence Subcuticular sutures vs surgical tapes | RR 0.07 [0, 1.47] | 4 studies · 264 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cosmesis of scar Subcuticular sutures vs surgical tapes | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Patient satisfaction Subcuticular sutures vs surgical tapes | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Wound closure time (minutes) Subcuticular sutures vs surgical tapes | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 169 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cost Subcuticular sutures vs surgical tapes | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 315 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Subcuticular sutures compared with surgical zippers for skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
Population: skin closure in non‐obstetric surgery
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Surgical site infection Incidence of wound infection Subcuticular sutures vs surgical zippers | RR 0.8 [0.08, 8.48] | 3 studies · 424 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Wound complications Incidence of wound complications Subcuticular sutures vs surgical zippers | RR 0.55 [0.15, 2.04] | 3 studies · 424 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Wound dehiscence Incidence of wound dehiscence Subcuticular sutures vs surgical zippers | RR 0.78 [0.19, 3.16] | 3 studies · 424 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cosmesis of scar Subcuticular sutures vs surgical zippers | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 90 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Patient satisfaction Subcuticular sutures vs surgical zippers | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Wound closure time (minutes) Subcuticular sutures vs surgical zippers | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 424 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Cost Subcuticular sutures vs surgical zippers | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 120 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |