Recently released results of a European study suggest that a new topical skin adhesive is as effective as intradermal sutures in wound closures.
A team of researchers from Belgium, Sweden, Germany and the UK conducted an investigation to determine the equivalence of the PRINEO™ Skin Closure System to intradermal sutures used in closing wounds.
According to the study abstract, the investigation focused on 79 patients who underwent elective surgery for bilateral breast procedures. Each breast incision had been randomized to wound closure with either the PRINEO™ topical adhesive or intradermal sutures. Postoperative evaluations occurred at one day, seven days, 12 to 25 days, 90 days, six months and one year.
The researchers collected data on the continuous approximation of the skin edges, the time required to close the final skin layer, the evaluation of incision healing and cosmesis outcomes. Safety evaluations were related to the incidence and extent of local acute inflammatory reactions, clinical infection, skin blistering and adverse events.
The investigators found that the mean time to closure for the PRINEO™ system was 2.56 minutes, nearly 14 minutes faster than for the intradermal sutures. Both treatments exhibited similar incision healing and cosmetic outcomes. The researchers found no clinically significant differences between the two groups for local acute inflammatory reactions, clinical infection or skin blistering. The number of serious adverse events was low, though the number of adverse events was significant, with 54 of the 79 patients experiencing at least one adverse event.
“PRINEO™ Skin Closure System can be considered equivalent to intradermal sutures for full-thickness surgical incisions associated with breast procedures, with regard to safety and effectiveness,” the authors write. “It was also 6.3 times faster than intradermal sutures for wound closure.”
The study appears in the December 2014 issue of the Annals of Plastic Surgery.
