Effect of Continuous Versus Interrupted Suturing on Wound Dehiscence and Infection After Abdominal Surgery

Frequency of Wound Dehiscence and Wound Infection in Continuous Versus Interrupted Suturing for Abdominal Closure in Exploratory Laparotomy

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether the type of suturing technique used to close the abdomen after exploratory laparotomy affects the rate of wound complications. Specifically, the study aims to find out if using interrupted sutures results in fewer cases of wound dehiscence (wound reopening) compared to continuous sutures.

The main question the study seeks to answer is:

Does interrupted suturing reduce the frequency of wound dehiscence compared to continuous suturing in patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy?

Researchers will also observe and compare wound infection rates between the two suturing methods.

About 80 adult patients (18-60 years old) undergoing exploratory laparotomy at the Department of General Surgery, DHQ Teaching Hospital, Dera Ghazi Khan, will take part in this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Group A: Continuous abdominal closure using No. 1 Vicryl suture

Group B: Interrupted abdominal closure using No. 1 Vicryl suture

All participants will have their baseline characteristics recorded, including age, gender, obesity, diabetes, and smoking status. The surgical technique and postoperative care will follow the hospital's standard protocols. After surgery, patients will be followed for four weeks with weekly clinical assessments to check for wound infection or wound dehiscence.

The hypothesis is that patients whose abdominal wounds are closed with interrupted sutures will have a lower frequency of wound dehiscence compared to those with continuous sutures.

The findings will help guide surgeons on which abdominal closure method provides better wound healing and fewer postoperative complications.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Wound Infection, Surgical; Dehiscence of Laparotomy Wound; Laparotomy Closure After Abdominal Surgery; Suture, Interrupted; Continuous Suture
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Continuous suturing; Procedure: Interrupted suturing

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab Province
    • Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 32200
      • Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital, Dera Ghazi Khan

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Undergoing exploratory laparotomy
• Both emergency and elective

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients undergoing second laparotomy or re- laparotomy
• Patients on steroid therapy (assessed on medical record review)
• Patients who die within 28-days of surgery

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Group A - Continuous; Continuous Suture	Procedure: Continuous suturing; After an exploratory laparotomy continuous suturing using a single thread of Vicryl No. 1 will be used to stitch the incision's fascial layer together, 1 cm distance from wound edges and between each stitch, creating a line of even tension across the wound.
Experimental: Group B - Interrupted; Interrupted Suture	Procedure: Interrupted suturing; After an exploratory laparotomy, interrupted suturing using a single thread of Vicryl No. 1 will be used to stitch the incision's fascial layer together, 1 cm distance from wound edges and between each stitch. A knot will be tied after each suture is passed through the tissue, and each stitch will be secured with its own knot.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Wound Dehiscence	A partial or total separation of previously approximated wound edges, on clinical examination of surgical wound.	From enrollment to 28-days of operation

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Surgical Wound Infection	Presence any features of erythema, pain, pus discharge on examination of surgical wound and new onset fever (> 98.60F)	From enrollment to 28-days after operation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital
• Investigators: Study Chair: Malik N Fareed, FCPS, Allama Iqbal teaching hospital Dera Ghazi Khan

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 11, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 10, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): March 10, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 17, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 21, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 21, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Surgical wound infection; Wound dehiscence; exploratory laparotomy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Postoperative Complications; Pathologic Processes; Infections; Wound Infection; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Surgical Wound Infection
• Other Study ID Numbers: U1111-1329-8430

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No