Aesthetic Outcome of Tie-over Bolster Application in Surgical Wounds

University of California (UC) Davis

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Scarring

Treatments: Procedure: Addition of Tie-Over Bolster Dressing

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05758168

1977459

Details and patient eligibility

About

When patients have surgery on the head and face, stitches are the standard way to close the wound. Wounds always result in a scar, but doctors are always looking for ways to reduce scarring. Several studies have been done to test ways to close wounds that reduce scarring. One idea is to reduce the tension around the cut. One way to reduce tension is to stitch a small piece of a special gauze over the top of the regular stitches. This procedure is called a "tie-over bolster dressing." As the name implies, this extra dressing "bolsters" the wound closure so that the skin on each side of the cut stays in place.

The bolster dressing procedure has been used in the past in special cases, such as when skin grafts are necessary. The bolster dressing helps the skin graft heal by making sure the graft stays exactly in place. Keeping the wound stable with a bolster dressing also reduces bleeding under the wound. For non-grafted wounds, the bolster dressing procedure has not normally been used, and has not been well-studied. In this study the whole wound will be stitched normally and then the bolster dressing will be applied over half of the wound. This will allow us to see if the side with the bolster dressing heals with less scarring.

Full description

Following cutaneous surgical procedures, scar formation is inevitable. Reducing the degree of scar formation and achieving the best aesthetic outcome remains prominent within the dermatological literature. Recent research has highlighted the impact of mechanical forces and tension on scar formation, demonstrating that reducing the mechanical stress within the wound environment results in better aesthetic outcome (1,2). Tension-shielding devices have shown promise in scar reduction in both humans and porcine models (2). More recently, two clinical trials have shown that the use of an "embrace" device, a silicone-based dressing designed to minimize wound tension, effectively improves the aesthetic outcome following scar revision surgery (3,4). In addition, application of negative pressure via vacuum sealing drainage (VSD), commonly called a "wound-vac", has been consistently shown to accelerate wound healing (5). However, using these methods can be challenging, particularly due to cost, practicability, and patient compliance.

An alternative method for reducing mechanical stressors along scars has long been used within dermatologic surgery, namely the application of a bolster dressing.

For decades, tie-over bolster dressings have been employed following cutaneous procedures repaired with skin grafting. Typically, these bolsters are composed of Xeroform gauze (bismuth tribromophenate petrolatum-impregnated gauze) which are sutured on top of the graft. These have been shown to stabilize the graft, immobilize the wound bed, and reduce hematoma formation by delivering persistent downward pressure (6,7).

To our knowledge, the impact of scar cosmesis and rate of post-operative complications following the administration of tie-over bolster dressing over primary linear repair of surgical wounds have not been studied. This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of a tie-over bolster dressing in reducing tension to improve scar cosmesis by using individuals as their own controls in a split-scar model.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years of age or older
• Able to give informed consent themselves
• Patient scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure on the head or neck with predicted primary closure
• Willing to return for follow-up visit

Exclusion criteria

• Incarceration
• Under 18 years of age
• Pregnant women
• Unable to understand written and oral English Wounds with predicted closure length less than 3cm

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Layered Closure

No Intervention group

Description:

A cutaneous layer of sutures will be placed on one side of wound, as is standard of care.

Layered Closure with Tie-Over Bolster Dressing

Experimental group

Description:

The other side of wound will have a cutaneous layer of sutures with the addition of a bolster dressing.

Treatment:

Procedure: Addition of Tie-Over Bolster Dressing