Comparative study between skin staples and conventional sutures for skin closure in elective abdominal surgery

Background: Skin closure is a crucial step in surgical procedures, as it directly affects wound healing, postoperative infection risk, and the aesthetic quality of the incision. The purpose of the study is to compare skin staples and conventional sutures for skin closure in elective abdominal surgery with respect to closure time, postoperative outcomes, and cosmetic results. Methods: This prospective comparative study at the Department of General Surgery, Enam Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh (March 2022–February 2023) included 60 elective abdominal surgery patients (30 staples, 30 sutures). Primary outcome was skin closure time; secondary outcomes were surgical site infection, pain, hospital stay, and cosmetic results. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests (p<0.05). Results: Sixty patients (30 per group) showed comparable baseline characteristics (p>0.05). Skin closure time was significantly shorter with staples than sutures (2.4±0.7 versus 9.8±2.5 minutes; p<0.001). Surgical site infection, postoperative pain, and hospital stay were similar between groups (p>0.05). Cosmetic outcome was significantly better with sutures (73.3% versus 40.0%; p=0.030). Conclusions: Skin staples offer faster skin closure, whereas conventional sutures provide better cosmetic outcomes, with no significant difference in postoperative complications.