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Dermabond Efficacy in Total Joint Arthroplasty Wounds
Am J Orthop. 2010 October;39(10):476-478
Author and Disclosure Information
Adam G. Miller, MD, and Michael L. Swank, MD
Dr. Miller is Resident in Orthopaedics, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, affiliated with Rothman Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Swank is President and Medical Director, Cincinnati Orthopaedic Research Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio; Medical Director, Joint Replacement Center at Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio; and volunteer Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
The goals of wound closure are a low infection rate and timely healing. Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) requires mobile recovery, and, therefore, a high-tension wound care environment.
We conducted a study to compare the efficacy of high-viscosity Dermabond (Ethicon, Somerville, New Jersey) and the efficacy of surgical staples in healing high-tension, mobile surgical sites of TJA. Of 236 total knee arthroplasties and 223 total hip arthroplasties (459 surgeries total), 250 were performed with Dermabond and 209 with staples.
According to χ2 analysis, case and control infection rates were equivalent. Signs of acute inflammation (redness, drainage, dehiscence) also were statistically equivalent. Absence of staples accounted for a significant decrease in tape blisters and skin abscesses. Dermabond is superior to staples in high-tension wound care.