Comparing the results of different skin closure techniques in children after elective surgery.

None listed

A prospective randomised controlled trial comparing skin closure of surgical incisions in children using either a wound dressing only, adhesive tape (SteriStrips) or adhesive glue (Dermabond). The choice of which of these techniques is used is usually dependent upon the surgeon’s preference and there is little evidence to show which of the three is better. This study will help to determine which of these three techniques, if any, is better and will help paediatric surgeons choose the best skin closure technique for their patients. Parents of children presenting for elective surgical procedures will be approached for enrolment. Participating children will then be randomised to have surgical incision skin closure with sutures and then either adhesive tape, adhesive glue or a simple wound dressing. Postoperatively, children will be followed up at 2 weeks via telephone survey where a parental satisfaction survey in terms of the wounds will be performed. Parents will also be asked questions related to: 1. Wound healing 2. The presence of any complications such as wound infection 3. Requirement to see a doctor regarding the wound postoperatively, 4. Time taken for each skin closure type to come off 5. Any parental concerns regarding the type of skin closure used. Parents will also be asked to fill out an online survey in which they will rate the cosmetic outcome of the wound. Parents unable to be reached via telephone will have a link emailed to their email address to complete the entire survey online. There will be a second followup at 6 weeks postoperatively where children will be reviewed by a paediatric surgeon in the Outpatients Clinic to assess the cosmetic outcome of the surgical wound and parents will be asked to complete a survey in hard-copy or on an iPad about the cosmetic outcome of the wound and overall parental satisfaction with the skin closure technique. Data collected will then be used to assess for differences between the three patient groups including blinded photographic assessment of the surgical wounds. This project will aim to look for differences between the three groups in terms of cosmetic outcome (as rated by the parents and a blinded paediatric surgeon assessor), differences in wound infection and wound breakdown rates and a comparison of parental satisfaction with the skin closure technique. It is hypothesised that, as all three wound closure techniques are used in clinical practice, it is likely that there will be minimal difference between the three groups. However these techniques have not been compared in a controlled trial.