Abdominal midline incision closure. A multicentric randomized prospective trial of 3,135 patients, comparing continuous vs interrupted polyglycolic acid sutures.

A randomized prospective multicentric study was organized to compare results between techniques using continuous sutures and interrupted sutures in closing abdominal midline incisions. The suture material employed was polyglycolic acid. This study included 3,135 patients who were randomized between the two methods of closure and who were stratified according to the type of wound: clean, clean-contaminated, and contaminated. The overall dehiscence rate was 1.6% in the continuous sutures group vs 2% in the interrupted sutures group. The dehiscence rate in the interrupted sutures group was significantly higher than in the continuous sutures group only in the stratum of contaminated wounds. The death rate was significantly higher in the interrupted sutures group. The number of needle sets was significantly less important when the continuous sutures technique was used. Continuous closure is preferable because it is more economic and expedient and also because it has the same incidence of wound dehiscence as interrupted sutures closure.