Clinical comparison of Michel and Proximate clips used for abdominal wound closure.

For many years Michel clips (Down Surgical, Mississauga, Ont.) have been used to close wounds and results have been good, but several newer clips are now available (e.g., Proximate; Ethicon Sutures Ltd.), which are said to be easier to use and produce a better scar. However, they are much more expensive. The authors carried out a prospective controlled study in which 30 patients with abdominal incisions had half of the skin incision closed with Michel clips and the other half with Proximate clips. They assessed ease of insertion and removal, and appearance of the wound immediately after removal and 2 months later. Ethicon Proximate clips were, in general, slightly easier to insert, less uncomfortable to remove in 8 of the 30 patients and gave a better immediate cosmetic result in 9 patients. However, there was no difference in the appearance of the wound 2 months later. The authors do not consider that Ethicon Proximate clips offer an advantage over the much less expensive Michel clips.