M
ost surgeons seal up incisions
with sutures or staples out of
repetition and routine. Cosmesis
is an afterthought as their focus
begins to shift to the next case.
But should it be? "The scar is often the only thing
patients remember about their surgeries," says
Jeffrey S. Freed, MD, MPH, FACS, a clinical profes-
sor in the department of surgery at the Icahn School
of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. "I tell
all my third-year medical students the same thing —
don't overlook the scar."
The next time a surgeon tells you there's no rea-
son to stop using tried-and-true wound closure
methods, let them know new alternatives provide
plenty of benefits, including sending their patients
home with a constant visual reminder of the cut-
ting-edge care they received.
1. Cost savings
Many of the wound closure products on the market
are non-invasive devices such as adhesives and
adhesive and tension-distributing combos or more-
involved external tissue expanders. If you're like
most surgical facility leaders, you want to know if
adding one of these new products will save your
A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 6 1
Jared Bilski | Managing Editor
Winning Wound-Closure Solutions
Innovative devices save time, minimize scarring and satisfy patients.
INDELIBLE MARK Patients care a great deal about scarring and appreciate any steps taken to improve post-op cosmesis.
