8 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
F
irst, a disclaimer on
emerging alternative
wound-closure
devices: There is
nothing superior to
the traditional suture in terms of
approximating wound edges. On
this, plastic surgeon Richard
Vagley, MD, FACS, of Spectrum
Aesthetics in Coral Gables, Fla., is
adamant. Still, Dr. Vagley is bullish
on the latest wound closure tech-
nologies, 6 of which we profile in this article, that can come pretty
close to the precision of a traditional suture in a fraction of the time.
And he isn't the only one. Asit K. Shah, MD, PhD, an orthopedic sur-
geon with Englewood (N.J.) Hospital, is also encouraged by recent
advances. "Wound closure has never really been improved upon," says
Dr. Shah, "and the bulk of major surgeries have simply been closed by
staples."
But there are plenty of compelling reasons to rethink this status-quo
approach to wound closure.
• Patient satisfaction. Dr. Shah recently surveyed his patients on
wound closure, and what he found was eye-opening. "There's a real
fear among patients about having these staples removed," says Dr.
Shah. "With a knee revision, we're talking about 30, 40 or 50 staples
we need to remove."
In addition to reducing the need for inconvenient follow-up staple-
Jared Bilski | Senior Associate Editor
What's New in Alternative Wound Closure
Will these devices supplant traditional sutures and staples?
• CLOSING TIME New wound-closure products let busy
physicians forgo the time-consuming process of staple
and suture removal.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
