BACKGROUND AND AIMS: appendectomy wounds are still commonly closed with non-absorbable sutures. Stitch removal has financial costs and causes anxiety in children. Our aim was to compare interrupted non-absorbable (NA) and continuous intradermal absorbable (A) sutures in appendectomy wounds to evaluate whether absorbable suturing increases the risk of complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 198 children (age 4-18 years) including perforated cases were prospectively randomized into two groups (NA and A skin closure). The wounds and inflammatory markers were evaluated on the first two postoperative days. The appearance of the wound was evaluated one week postoperatively by a district nurse. Follow-up data were obtained from 166 patients (87 in NA group and 79 in A group). RESULTS: in NA group 86 % and in A group 81 % had appendicitis (8 % and 15.6 % perforated and 9.3 % and 25 % gangrenous cases in NA and A groups, respectively). The total wound infection rate was low, 1.8 % (2.3 % in NA Group and 1.3% in A Group). No differences in the inflammatory markers or the appearance of the wound were noted between the groups, but nine children in NA Group (10.3 %) had a partial wound dehiscence after stitch removal. CONCLUSION: appendectomy wounds in children can be closed with continuous, absorbable sutures, even in complicated cases.
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Pauniaho et al. (2010) studied this question.