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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01753518

A Clinical Trial of Subcuticular Staples Versus Subcuticular Suture for Cesarean Section Skin Closure

Currently, the way doctors close the skin during cesarean section is different between surgeons and there is little evidence to support the use of one kind of closure over the other. At the Mayo Clinic Family Birth Center, skin is currently closed using an absorbable suture (or stitch), placed within the top layer of skin. At other institutions, a metal staple is often used to close the skin.

There is a new technique that uses special absorbable staples just beneath the skin. This technology may be equal to, or possibly better than, current skin closure techniques. However, there is currently little data to show how it compares. The purpose of this study is to compare the absorbable staple to the currently used absorbable suture. The data from this study will then be used to help determine the best technique for skin closure.

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Key information

Conditions

Surgical Wound Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States

About this study

Cesarean section is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures worldwide. In the United States, the proportion of deliveries by cesarean has increased from approximately 21% in 1996 to 32.8% in 2010. Ultimately, the rising incidence of cesarean delivery results in increased surgical morbidity; including pain, blood loss, and surgical site infections, which leads to an increase in overall hospitalization days and healthcare costs. This volume of surgical procedures also carries the risk of blood and body fluid exposures to surgical staff. Suture needles contribute to 43.4% of all sharps injuries in surgical settings and 51.5% of sharp injuries to surgeons alone. Additionally, it was discovered that 20% of blood borne pathogen exposures on the Mayo Clinic Rochester campus in 2011 occurred in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Therefore, any quality improvement measure regarding cesarean sections has the potential to significantly impact overall surgical morbidity, bloodborne pathogen exposure, and healthcare costs at our institution. Reviews of current literature show a lack of evidence for many of the surgical steps during cesarean procedures. Thus, there is an urgent need to define evidence-based surgical techniques for each step, from incision to closure.

The optimal skin closure technique is simple, quick, cost-effective, and provides adequate tissue approximation with a good cosmetic outcome while minimizing the risk of infection, dehiscence, and pain. Ideally, needlestick injuries would also be eliminated. It is currently unknown which skin closure method is superior with regard to these outcomes.

The INSORB 20 (Incisive Surgical) is a new, single-use device for skin closure that aims to combine the speed of a staple with the cosmetic outcome of a subcuticular suture, while eliminating the need for staple removal. Additionally, it should reduce the incidence of needlestick injury. INSORB also claims to result in a "low maintenance wound" with less surgical site infection, lower inflammation, and increased patient comfort and satisfaction. However, data is limited comparing INSORB to the current standards of care (either staples or suture).

The purpose of this study is to determine if the new absorbable subcuticular staples (INSORB) improves outcomes compared to the current standard absorbable subcuticular suture for skin closure in cesarean sections.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Gestational age ≥ 24 weeks
  • Scheduled cesarean section for any indication
  • Pfannenstiel incision
  • Singleton gestation

Exclusion criteria

  • Failure to consent
  • Gestational age < 24 weeks
  • Vaginal delivery
  • Intrauterine fetal death
  • Multifetal gestation
  • Suspected infection, i.e. chorioamnionitis
  • BMI > 50

Treatment and study plan

Subcuticular suture

Device

subcuticular Monocryl suture closure

Other names: Monocryl

Subcuticular staple

Device

subcuticular staple wound closure with INSORB 20 device

Other names: Insorb

Primary outcomes

  1. Total Surgical Time, All Resident Levels

    Time frame: Measured at the time of the procedure (day 1), approximately 1 hour after incision start

    Total surgical time was defined as the time from incision start to incision completion. Measured for all resident education levels (1 to 4 years postgraduate).

  2. Skin Closure Time, All Resident Levels

    Time frame: Measured at the time of the procedure (day 1), approximately 1 hour after incision start

    Measured for all resident education levels (1 to 4 years postgraduate).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total Number of Participants With Postoperative Complications

    Time frame: From the day of the procedure (Day 1) for 6 weeks

    Postoperative complications were assessed by chart review.

  2. Participants With Postoperative Complications, by Type

    Time frame: From the day of the procedure (Day 1) for 6 weeks

    Postoperative complications were assessed by chart review.

  3. Postoperative Pain

    Time frame: From day of procedure until end of hospital stay (typical dismissal on day 4)

    Post-operative pain was assessed by pain medication use through chart review.

  4. Number of Subjects Requiring Patient-controlled, Alternative Oral, or Single Dose IV/IM Analgesic

    Time frame: From day of procedure until end of hospital stay (typical dismissal on day 4)

    Post-operative pain was assessed by pain medication use through chart review. These subjects required patient-controlled analgesia, or alternative oral analgesic, or a single dose of intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) analgesic. Alternative oral analgesics included hydromorphone, hydrocodone/acetaminophen, or oxycodone/acetaminophen .

  5. Patient Satisfaction

    Time frame: At the time of dismissal (typically day 3 or 4) and at 6 weeks postoperative appointment

    Patient satisfaction was measured by questionnaire at the time of dismissal from the hospital and at their 6 week postpartum/postoperative exam. There were 4 questions: How satisfied are you with the appearance of your skin incision? How willing are you to recommend this same skin closure to a friend? How willing are you to have this same skin closure for your next cesarean section? What is your overall satisfaction with your surgical procedure, including the skin incision? For reporting purposes, possible answers for each item were grouped into negative (not at all, not very, or no opinion), or positive (somewhat or extremely).

  6. Surgeon Satisfaction (Per Procedure)

    Time frame: Immediately after the procedure (day 1)

    Surgeon satisfaction was assessed by a 3-question questionnaire immediately after performing the procedure. The questions were: How satisfied are you with the appearance of the skin incision?" "How willing are you to recommend this skin closure (whether it was staples or suture) to a patient?" "How willing are you to use this skin closure (whether it was staples or suture) for your next cesarean section?" There were 5 possible responses to each question (not at all, not very, no opinion, somewhat, extremely), with "not at all,' "not very," and "no opinion" being a negative response, and "somewhat" and "extremely " being a positive response. Categories reported were negative, (including no opinion), and positive.

  7. Cosmetic Outcome

    Time frame: Measured at 6 week postoperative appointment

    The cosmetic outcome will be assessed by patients and a blinded observer at the 6 week postpartum/postoperative exam using the Patient Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). The POSAS consists of two parts: a Patient Scale and an Observer Scale. Both scales contain six items that are scored numerically. Each item of both scales has a 10-point score, with 10 indicating the worst imaginable scar or sensation. The lowest score is '1', and corresponds to the situation of normal skin (normal pigmentation, no itching etc), and goes up to the worst imaginable. Besides the six items the 'Overall Opinion' of the scar quality is scored separately of both patients and observers. Again, a 10-point scale is used in which 10 corresponds to the worst imaginable scar.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Margaret L. Dow, M.D.

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Subcuticular Staples Versus Subcuticular Suture for Cesarean Section Skin Closure

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2014
Study completion
2014
First posted
Dec 20, 2012
Registry last updated
Apr 30, 2015

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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