Purpose: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common complications that can occur after stoma closure. Reports have described differences in the incidence of wound infection depending on the skin closure technique, but there is no consensus on the ideal closure technique for a stoma wound. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of SSI and the patient satisfaction between a circumferential purse-string approximation (CPA) and a primary linear closure (PC) of a stoma wound.
Methods: This prospective nonrandomized trial enrolled 48 patients who underwent a stoma closure from February 2010 to October 2013. Patients were divided into two groups according to the stoma closing technique: the CPA group (n = 34) and the PC group (n = 14). The incidences of SSI for the two groups were compared, and the patients' satisfaction with the stoma closure was determined by using a questionnaire.
Results: SSI occurred in 3 of 48 patients (6.3%) and was more frequent in the PC group than in the CPA group (3/14 [21.4%] vs. 0/34 [0%], P = 0.021). Time to complete healing after stoma closure in the CPA group was 32 days (range, 14-61 days). Patients in the CPA group were more satisfied with the resulting wound scar (P = 0.043).
Conclusion: After stoma closure, CPA was associated with a significantly lower incidence of wound infection and greater patient satisfaction compared to PC. However, with the CPA technique, the time to heal is longer than it is with PC.
Keywords: Patient satisfaction; Surgical stomas; Wound closure technique; Wound infection.