CLOSING TIME New wound-closure products let busy physicians forgo the time-consuming process of staple and suture removal.
First, a disclaimer on emerging alternative wound-closure devices: There is nothing superior to the traditional suture in terms of approximating wound edges. On this, plastic surgeon Richard Vagley, MD, FACS, of Spectrum Aesthetics in Coral Gables, Fla., is adamant. Still, Dr. Vagley is bullish on the latest wound closure technologies, 6 of which we profile in this article, that can come pretty close to the precision of a traditional suture in a fraction of the time.
And he isn’t the only one. Asit K. Shah, MD, PhD, an orthopedic surgeon with Englewood (N.J.) Hospital, is also encouraged by recent advances. “Wound closure has never really been improved upon,” says Dr. Shah, “and the bulk of major surgeries have simply been closed by staples.”
But there are plenty of compelling reasons to rethink this status-quo approach to wound closure.
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