Closure of the Skin After Liver Resection
Conditions
Brief summary
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.
Interventions
PROCEDURESuture Group
BIOLOGICALStaple Group (control)
Sponsors
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* All patients undergoing liver resection surgery for benign or malignant aetiology * All patients undergoing surgery as a living liver donor.
Exclusion criteria
* Any patient with an active wound infection * Any patient with an active incisional wound hernia from previous surgery * Synchronous bowel/liver surgery * History of keloid formation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Post-operative infection time | 1 year |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Time taken for skin closure | 12 months |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed