Continuous versus interrupted sutures for repair of episiotomy or second‐degree perineal tears: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the repair techniques of continuous and interrupted methods for episiotomy or perineal tears.Design A randomised controlled trial.Setting The Hospital Universitario Principe de Asturias, a state hospital belonging to the community of Madrid.Sample Four hundred forty-five women who had undergone vaginal deliveries with episiotomies or second-grade tearing of the perineum between September 2005 and July 2007.Methods One group was repaired with continuous, nonlocking sutures involving the vagina, perineum, and subcutaneous tissues. The other group had continuous, locking sutures of the vagina, interrupted sutures in the perineal muscles, and interrupted transcutaneous sutures. The threads used for stitching were identical in both groups.Main outcome measures The participants were questioned regarding the sensation of pain and the use of painkillers on the second and the tenth days, and 3 months postpartum.Results When comparing the group with continuous suture to the group with interrupted sutures, the differences included less repair time (1 minute; P = 0.017) and less suture material used (relative risk [RR], 3.2, 95% CI: 2.6-4.0). The comparison of pain on the second and tenth days, and 3 months postpartum were not statistically different between the two techniques (RR, 1.08, 95% CI: 0.74-1.57; RR, 0.96, 95% CI: 0.59-1.55; and RR, 0.68, 95% CI: 0.19-2.46, respectively). ConclusionsAlthough we did not demonstrate that one technique was better than the other in the incidence of pain in the short or long term, we showed that episiotomy and perineal tear repairs with continuous suturing were quicker and used less suture material without an increase in complication than interrupted suturing.

Sutures versus staples for skin closure in orthopaedic surgery: meta-analysis

“…1 17 As the present included studies did not analyse the results based on different comorbidities, age, or skin type, we do not know whether patients with difference skin types might present with differing outcomes-for example, Afro-Caribbean patients are more susceptible to hypertrophic and keloid scarring. 22 Previous studies have examined the clinical outcomes of skin closure with continuous or subcuticular interrupted suture techniques for repair of episiotomy or second degree perineal tears [23][24][25] and vascular surgery. 26 27 Most orthopaedic studies used interrupted subcuticular suture techniques for wound closure, while only two studies adopted a continuous suture technique.…”

Single-layer continuous suture contributes to the reduction of surgical complications in digestive tract anastomosis involving special anatomical locations

“…It was previously demonstrated that the surgical time may be reduced by ≤30 min for each stapled anastomosis (27) and the continuous suture may also contribute to the reduction in surgical time without increasing the complication rate in various types of surgery (28). There was no significant difference in surgical time between the new manual and traditional suture technique in this study.…”

Efficacy of single-layer continuous suture of the posterior wall in anastomosis involving a difficult location of the digestive tract

“…Continuous suture contributes to reduced surgical time, and does not increase complication in episiotomy (31). Staple anastomosis reduces surgical time by ≤30 min due to cutting and suturing tissues only once (32); however, to acquire a safe anastomosis, a sharp blade and a sufficient amount of tissue cutting is required, which may lead to surgical issues and prolong surgery time.…”