Water is a safe and effective alternative to sterile normal saline for wound irrigation prior to suturing: a prospective, double-blind, randomised, controlled clinical trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine if there is a significant difference in the infection rates of wounds irrigated with sterile normal saline (SS) versus tap water (TW), before primary wound closure.

Design

Single centre, prospective, randomised, double-blind controlled trial. Wound irrigation solution type was computer randomised and allocation was done on a sequential basis.

Setting

Stanford University Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine.

Participants

Patients older than 1 year of age, who presented to the emergency department with a soft tissue laceration requiring repair, were entered into the study under informed consent. Exclusion criteria included any underlying immunocompromising illness, current use of antibiotics, puncture or bite wounds, underlying t

SUBMITTER: Weiss EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3549228 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature