Replacement of the Suture Material with Skin Tapes within 24 Hours Postoperation to Prevent Suture Marks Formation

Abstract

Replacement of the Suture Material with Skin Tapes within 24 Hours Postoperation to Prevent Suture Marks Formation

Wanchai Manakijsirisuthi MD, FRCS

Department of Surgery, Kamphaengphet Hospital

Objective : To study the result of replacement the suture material with skin tapes within 24 hours postoperation to prevent suture marks formation at the abdominal or flank wound.

Study design : Descriptive study.

Subjects : One hundred and fourteen patients who underwent surgical treatment at Department of Surgery, Kamphaengphet Hospital, during September 1999 to September 2000. All had either abdominal incision or flank incision.

Methods : Within 24 hours after the operations, all patients who had either abdominal incision or flank incision, had their dressings removed. The wound was cleaned with 70% alcohol and normal saline solution. Multiple strips of skin tape (Leukostrip, Medipore, Fixomull) were applied between each suture stitch and the  stitches were removed, left the skin tapes to hold the wound tension. The skin tapes  were applied for 7 days and then peeled off. The wounds were looked forward to suture marks formation and abnormal widening' of incision line. At the 30th postoperative day, the wounds were reexamined and observed the suture mark formation.

Main outcome measures : Number of cases of suture mark formation, wound disruption. abnormal  widening  of  incision scars and allergic to skin tape.

Results : Of the 114 patients, (40 midline incision, 17 Kocher incision, 5 bilateral subcostal incision. 41 transverse/oblique incision and 11 kidney incision) neither had suture marks formation. Wound disruption nor abnormal  widening of incision scars. Only 1 patient was allergic to skin tapes and was corrected by using Micropore.

Conclusion : Replacement the suture material with skin tapes within 24 hours postoperation can prevent suture marks formation.

Key words : skin tape, suture marks formation, postoperation

Vajira Med J 2001 ; 45 : 61 - 65