COMPARISON OF THREE METHODS OF WOUND CLOSURE FOLLOWING TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY: RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 327 KNEES

Background Surgical wound closure is not the surgeon”s favorite part of the total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery however it has vital rule in the success of surgery. Knee arthoplasty wounds are known to be more prone to infection, breakdown or delayed healing compared to hip arthroplasty wounds, and this might be explained by the increased tensile force applied on the wound with knee movement. This effect is magnified by the enhanced recovery protocols which aim to obtain high early range of movement. Most of the literature concluded that there is no difference between different closure methods Objectives We conducted an independent study comparing the complication rate associated with using barbed suture (Quill-Ethicon), Vicryl Rapide (polyglactins910-Ethicon) and skin staples for wound closure following TKA Study Design & Methods Retrospective study where the study group included all the patients admitted to our unit for elective primary knee arthroplasty in 2015, we excluded patients admitted for part...