Comparison of Two Methods of Simple and Continuous Plastic Subcutaneous Suture in Appendectomy Wound Healing

Appendectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures with various clinical complications affecting wound healing. The type of skin closure is a critical surgical stage to prevent infection and dermal scarring. Therefore, administration of proper skin suturing can lead to complete wound healing and reduction of appendectomy-associated complications. In this regard, the present study was designed to compare the quality of the wound healing process and related complications in Simple Semi-Plastic (SSP) and Continuous Sub-Cuticular (CSC) dermal suturing procedures.

This triple-blind clinical trial study was conducted on 73 appendectomy patients randomly categorized as the cases with SSP (n=38) and CSC (n=35) suturing procedures. Demographic data, wound-associated characteristics (e.g., width of scar, color, odor, patency, necrotic tissue, wound warmth, granulation and epithelialization tissues, volume and color of wound secretion, and color of wound-surrounded tissues) were totally assessed using a pre-designed checklist. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) index was also used for assessing level of pain. All the collected data were applied on 2nd, 10th, and 30th days post-surgery. The obtained data was analyzed in SPSS software (version 23).

According to the results of the present research, no significant differences were detected in the terms of demographic characteristics, wound-associated complications, healing-related factors, and changes of wound-surrounding tissues between the SSP and CSC groups (P>0.05). The width of scar was significantly higher on the 2nd and the 10th days after suturing in SSP group than CSC group (P<0.05).

Following appendectomy, thinner dermal scars along with better cosmetic outcomes can be obtained through the CSC technique than SSP.