Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is much debate regarding the ideal suture material for the closure of emergency midline laparotomy wounds. The novel barbed delayed absorbable suture is designed to overcome the shortcomings of conventional suture materials. We conducted a study in 140 patients undergoing emergency laparotomy where barbed delayed absorbable suture was used for rectus sheath closure and observed the time taken for closure and the incidence of postoperative complications like surgical site infection, wound dehiscence, suture sinus formation, and incisional hernia. METHODS: Barbed delayed absorbable (polydioxanone) suture was used for rectus sheath closure of 140 patients undergoing emergency laparotomy using a 4:1 ratio of suture to wound length. Postoperative complications were observed. RESULTS: Surgical site infection occurred in 40% (56 out of 140) of patients. By postoperative day 8, 70.7% (99 out of 140) of patients had a healthy suture line, 23.6% (33 out of 140) required skin sutures to be opened, and 5.7% (8 out of 140) had burst abdomen. One patient (0.7%) developed suture sinus formation, and five patients (3.6%) were diagnosed with incisional hernia at six months. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: Barbed delayed absorbable suture can be used for emergency laparotomy wound closure with satisfactory outcomes. It allows faster wound closure without the need for an assistant.