Suture vs Staples for Skin Closure After Liver Resection

Closure of the skin after liver resection (surgery to remove part of the liver) may be achieved by one of several methods. The standard method at our institution is to use stainless steel staples to adjoin the two sides of skin. Alternatively, a continuous absorbable suture may be used to "sew" the skin together.

The ideal method of closure should be safe, effective, associated with minimal patient discomfort and have a good cosmetic result. At present, there is no scientific evidence to describe which method is most suitable following liver resection.

The primary aims of this study is to investigate which method (subcuticular sutures vs staples) offers the best result in postoperative rate of (1) skin infection, (2) skin dehiscience (separation of skin) and (3) time taken to perform skin closure. In addition, we are interested in which method is best for patient satisfaction and cosmetic appearance and which method is most cost effective.