What should you prefer: Continuous or disrupted subcutaneous tissue closure?

The present study compared the rates of surgical-site infections following continuous, with interrupted, subcutaneous tissue closure technique during cesarean delivery (CD).

The study group contained women who underwent either elective or emergent CD with continuous subcutaneous tissue closure, while the control group included those with interrupted subcutaneous tissue closure. Women with suspected infectious morbidity before CD were excluded.

The study found-

• Inclusion of 6281 women in analysis. 
• 37.4% of scheduled CDs and 45.8% of emergent CDs witnessed continuous subcutaneous tissue closure. 
• Significantly lower rate of SSI following continuous than interrupted subcutaneous tissue closure in both elective CD (2.7% versus 4.5%) and emergent CD (3.2% versus 5.4%) in nulliparous and multiparous women. 
• Significantly lower re-admission rates, postoperative maternal fever, and need for antibiotic treatment following continuous subcutaneous closure.

This study shows that the continuous subcutaneous closure technique during CD results in a lower surgical-site complication rate than the interrupted technique.

Lauterbach R, David CB, Bachar G., et al. Continuous versus disrupted subcutaneous tissue closure in cesarean section: A retrospective cohort study. International Journal of Gynecology& Obstetrics. 2023;160(1):113-119. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.14322