Undermining During Cutaneous Wound Closure

University of California (UC) Davis

Status: Completed

Conditions: Wound Closure Techniques

Treatments: Procedure: Wound Closure without Undermining; Procedure: Wound Closure with Undermining

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02289859

613430

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether undermining during cutaneous surgery improves scar cosmesis compared to wound closure without undermining.

Full description

The purpose of this study is to determine whether undermining during cutaneous surgery improves scar cosmesis compared to wound closure without undermining. Our aims are to compare outcomes using a split wound model, where half the wound is undermined and the other half is not. This will be measured via the physician observer scar assessment scale, a validated scar instrument and via wound width. Our hypothesis is that wound undermining will result in cosmetically superior wound outcomes.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Able to give informed consent themselves
• Patient scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure with predicted linear closure
• Willing to return for follow up visits

Exclusion criteria

• Mentally handicapped
• Incarceration
• Pregnant Women
• Wounds with predicted closure length less than 3 cm
• Wounds with diameter > 3 cm
• Wounds unable to be fully closed without undermining

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Wound Closure with Undermining

Active Comparator group

Description:

The side assigned to undermining will have undermining performed prior to wound closure in the subcutaneous plane. The amount of undermining will range from 1 cm for wounds with low tension to 2 cm for those with moderate tension. Since wound diameter will be 3 cm or less and exclude the scalp, high tension wounds are not anticipated.

Treatment:

Procedure: Wound Closure with Undermining

Procedure: Wound Closure without Undermining

Wound Closure without Undermining

Active Comparator group

Description:

One side of the wound will remain un-undermined.

Treatment:

Procedure: Wound Closure with Undermining

Procedure: Wound Closure without Undermining