Outcomes of Running Locking Suture vs Standard Running Suture in Surgical Wounds
Outcomes of Running Locking Suture vs Standard Running Suture in Surgical Wounds: a Randomized Evaluator-blinded Split-wound Comparative Effectiveness Trial
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
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
About the study
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. The most commonly performed closure technique uses running sutures, where a single strand of suture is continued along the length of the wound with a series of uninterrupted stiches. However, alternative closure techniques exist such as the running locking suture, which can offer advantages such as improved tension and thus reduce post-operative complications with better aesthetic outcome. In this study, half the wound will be stitched with standard running sutures and the other half will be stitched with running locking sutures. This will allow us to see if the side with running locking sutures heals with less scarring.
What is being tested
- Running locking suture (procedure)
- Standard running suture (procedure)
Sponsor: University of California, Davis · Participants: 50 · Started: Aug 1, 2024
Contact the study team
- John Robb, BS, BA · Phone: 9165512636
- Keemberly Kim, MD · Phone: 9168161525
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06288009
Locations in the U.S.
| California | University of California, Davis - Dermatology Department, Sacramento |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.