Outcomes Comparing Different Methods of Skin Closure in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Surgery.

The goal of the study is to evaluate and compare patient perception of two different methods of skin closure following head and neck surgery. Currently, the standard of care includes closing with surgical staples or subcuticular sutures, and is decided at surgeon's discretion. Both methods are used in accordance with the standard of care at Boston Medical Center, depending on individual physician preference. There are also factors that may influence choice of closure at time of surgery, such as operative time, or wound characteristics. For instance, if the operative time was already extending longer than expected, to decrease patient anesthesia time, the surgeon may opt for staples, since they are faster to place than sutures. Also, although a rare scenario, if there was excessive blood loss during the surgery or the surgeon has reason to suspect post-operative hematoma development, they will likely opt for staple closure, to facilitate easy post-operative access to the wound if necessary. In the literature, incidence of hematoma as a post-operative complication to head and neck surgery is stated as 3-4.7%.

There have been various studies in the literature comparing these two skin closure methods for general surgery (abdominal procedures) and obstetrics/gynecological surgeries, with inconclusive outcomes. We found a lack of data in the literature describing head and neck surgeries. Given the different type of wounds, and the often more visible nature of the resulting scars, the investigators believe there is value to accessing patient perception of skin closure in this cohort. Kobayashi et al. conducted a large randomized control trial of 1264 subjects, comparing staples vs. subcuticular sutures after open and laparoscopic elective colorectal cancer surgery. The results of the study showed no significant difference in operative outcomes (wound complications, surgical site infections, post-operative length of stay, scar esthetics). However, staples were found to have a shorter operative time, while sutures resulted in statistically significant higher patient satisfaction. A meta-analysis of 12 studies comparing sutures and staples in caesarian section showed no difference in patient satisfaction or scar cosmesis, but found more wound complications in the staples arm. Much of the existing data are reported from general surgery or obstetrics/gynecology. There is not a lot of literature in otolaryngology or head and neck surgery that evaluates skin closure methods. The importance of cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction is particularly important in the field of head and neck surgery, due to the visibility of the scars given their location.

Upon review of the existing literature, there is no definitive data to support either method as superior, with regards to wound complications and outcomes, mature scar cosmesis, or post-operative pain. There is some evidence to suggest that subcuticular suture closure is marginally superior with regards to scar cosmesis, but given that operative time is increased, there is not enough benefit to the patient to change the standard of care. In addition, with the current trend of medicine moving towards patient-reported outcomes, it becomes increasingly important to evaluate patient satisfaction to determine whether there is a superior method. The investigators hypothesize that there will be no statistically significant difference between staple skin closure and subcuticular suture closure, with regards to the primary outcomes of patient satisfaction and mature scar cosmesis.