Tissue adhesive, sterile strips similar after cesarean section

(HealthDay)—With cesarean deliveries, wound complications are similar for tissue adhesive and sterile strips when used after closure of a Pfannenstiel skin incision, according to a study published online July 9 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Lena Braginsky, M.D., from University of Chicago, and colleagues randomly assigned 504 women undergoing cesarean delivery using a Pfannenstiel skin incision to receive either tissue adhesive (2-octyl cyanoacrylate) or sterile strips after closure of the skin incision.

Based on the 479 women with follow-up data, the researchers found that wound complications occurred in 18 of 238 patients (7.6 percent) in the tissue adhesive group and 19 of 241 patients (7.9 percent) in the sterile strips group (relative risk, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.51 to 1.78). The two groups showed no significant differences in types of wound complications, operative time, readmission, office or emergency department visits, antibiotics prescribed for wound complications, or patient scar assessment scores of pain, stiffness, and irregularity. Tissue adhesive, however, performed slightly better for patient reports of both itchiness of the scar and overall scar satisfaction.

"Compared with sterile strips, tissue adhesive after closure of Pfannenstiel incision for cesarean delivery is unlikely to lower the risk of wound complications," the authors write.