Skin closure at cesarean section, polypropylene versus polyglactin 910: A randomized controlled study

Abstract

Aim: To compare the rates of surgical wound infection in women who have undergone cesarean delivery with subcuticular skin closure with polyglactin 910 or polypropylene. Methods: Between April 2018 and October 2018, patients who had undergone a cesarean delivery for any reason were randomized with polyglactin 910 or polypropylene for subcuticular skin closure. Participants were evaluated for wound complications on day 7 and 30 postoperatively. The primary outcome was surgical site infection within the first 30 days following delivery. In addition, factors affecting surgical site infections were analyzed by binary regression. Results: A total of 220 women who had undergone cesarean delivery were randomized and 213 were included in the final analysis. The groups were similar in terms of demographic characteristics and perioperative features. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of wound complications or superficial site infections (8.3% in the polypropylene group versus 10.6% in the polyglactin 910 group, p = .642). Similarly, no difference was observed between the groups in terms of other wound complications. A binary logistic regression analysis indicated that superficial wound site infection was not affected by gravidity, BMI, duration of operation, repeated or unplanned cesarean delivery. Conclusion: It was observed that surgical site infections and other wound complications in skin closures with polyglactin 910 were similar to those with polypropylene.