Cosmetic Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction After Facial Laceration Repair in the Emergency Department

Facial lacerations are commonly treated in the emergency department. The nature of the injury leads to a great deal of concern about the long-term cosmetic appearance of the wounds.

Research Questions

1. What is the association between wound characteristics, wound management in the ED, patient satisfaction in the ED, and patient-rated cosmetic appearance of sutured wounds?
2. Is there a difference noted among ED providers with different levels of training?
3. Is there an association between initial satisfaction scores and wound outcome?
4. Is there an association between short term and long term wound scores?

Design This is a non-randomized, prospective, observational study of patients who present to the ED seeking treatment for facial laceration repair.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Facial Lacerations

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 160

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States
      • Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: No older than 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Pediatric emergency department

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Families presenting to the ED for repair of facial laceration will be approached for study inclusion if:

  • Their child seeking treatment is less than 18 years of age
  • The laceration was sustained less than 12 hours prior to presentation to Children's ED
  • They speak English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Families presenting to the ED for repair of facial laceration will be excluded from study participation if they:

  • Are medically complex children
  • Have a history of pre-existing coagulopathy or collagen vascular disease
  • Have a history of immunodeficiency or diabetes mellitus
  • Are suspected of non-accidental trauma
  • Have wounds that could be approximated by tissue adhesives
  • Have animal or human bites
  • Have gross contamination
  • Have puncture wounds
  • Have lacerations of tendon/nerve/cartilage
  • Have scalp lacerations
  • Do not speak English

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

4

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
PEM group; Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by PEM trained physicians.
GP group; Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by general pediatricians.
PNP group; Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by PNPs.
RN group; Patients whose lacerations have been repaired by suture RNs.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cosmetic outcome	Cosmetic Visual Analog Score and the Wound Evaluation Score	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Satisfaction score	Visual analog scale; left end labeled "Dissatisified" and right end labeled "Very satisfied"	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Quinn JV, Wells GA. An assessment of clinical wound evaluation scales. Acad Emerg Med. 1998 Jun;5(6):583-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.1998.tb02465.x.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 12, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 17, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): January 20, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 23, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2014
• Last Verified: April 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: emergency; suture; patient satisfaction; laceration; cosmetic outcomes
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Lacerations
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1108-081