Can sutures get wet? Prospective randomised controlled trial of wound management in general practice

Abstract

Objective: To compare standard management of keeping wounds dry and covered with allowing wounds to be uncovered and wet in the first 48 hours after minor skin excision.

Design: Prospective, randomised controlled, multicentre trial testing for equivalence of infection rates.

Setting: Primary care in regional centre, Queensland, Australia.

Participants: 857 patients randomised to either keep their wound dry and covered (n = 442) or remove the dressing and wet the wound (n = 415).

Results: The incidence of infection in the intervention group (8.4%) was not inferior to the incidence in the control group (8.9%) (P < 0.05). The one sided 95% confidence interval for the difference of infection rates was infinity to 0.028.

Conclusion: These results indicate that wounds can be uncovered and allowed to get wet in the first 48 hours after minor skin excision without increasing the incidence of infection.

Fig 1

Wound management protocol in wet (intervention) and dry (control) groups

Fig 2

Flowchart of enrolment, randomisation, and follow-up of patients