Stitch Up; The Pilot. A pilot study comparing large bite and small bite closure in acute laparotomy to assess rate of recruitment prior to full randomised control trial

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12626001156370

Enrollment

Registered

2026-09-17

Start date

2026-09-21

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-09-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Incisional herniae are a major problem following surgery, and there is evidence in the elective setting to show closing the fascia (the strong layer of the abdominal wall) with small bites (5mm steps between sutures) is better than large bites (10mm steps between sutures) at preventing herniae. This has not been explored in the acute setting though. Our study is a pilot study for a randomised study comparing these two methods of care in the acute setting. We will be checking that patients can be recruited into the study, not disadvantaged in the short term, and are suitable for long term follow up.

Interventions

The intervention is small bite closure, defined as placement of stitches 5mm from the edge of abdominal wall fascia (the tough lining of the abdominal wall) and 5mm apart. It will be delivered by appropriately trained consultant and training surgeons at the end of emergency midline laparotomy in the operating theatre.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used) (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients that are undergoing an acute laparotomy at Christchurch Public Hospital.

Exclusion criteria

Patients that have had abdominal surgery within the last 3 months or abdominal hernia repair

Outcome results