Delayed primary closure. Tissue gas tensions in healing rat skin incisions.

In a previous biomechanical study the healing of delayed primary closure (DPC) wounds was investigated. With delay intervals of 3-6 days DPC wounds were shown to develop much higher late term mechanical strength than control primary closure (PC) wounds. In the present work measurements of wound tissue gas tensions were performed with implanted silicone tonometer tubes. Higher pO2 values were found in DPC wounds than in control PC wounds from the 6th to 15th postoperative day. No difference in pCO2 was found between the two types of wounds. The results are in accordance with the biomechanical results and give evidence of a higher local oxygen supply in DPC wounds.