Summary of findings 5. Fast absorbable versus slow absorbable sutures for laparotomy incision.
| Fast absorbable versus slow absorbable sutures for laparotomy incisions | |||||
| Patient or population: patients undergoing a laparotomy incision Setting: community and hospital‐based, outpatient and inpatient, worldwide Intervention: slow absorbable sutures Comparison: fast absorbable sutures | |||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | № of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | |
| Risk with fast absorbable sutures | Risk with slow absorbable sutures | ||||
| Incisional hernia follow‐up: 1 year | Study population | RR 0.81 (0.63 to 1.06) | 3643 (10 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ Moderate1 | |
| 113 per 1000 | 92 per 1000 (71 to 120) | ||||
| Wound infection at last follow‐up | Study population | RR 1.16 (0.85 to 1.57) | 4100 (11 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ Moderate1 | |
| 75 per 1000 | 87 per 1000 (64 to 118) | ||||
| Wound dehiscence at last follow‐up | Study population | RR 1.55 (0.92 to 2.61) | 3440 (8 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ Moderate1 | |
| 15 per 1000 | 24 per 1000 (14 to 40) | ||||
| Sinus or fistula formation at last follow‐up | Study population | RR 0.88 (0.05 to 16.05) | 911 (2 RCTs) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ Very low1,2,3 | |
| 15 per 1000 | 13 per 1000 (1 to 243) | ||||
| *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: confidence interval; RCT: randomised controlled trial; RR: risk ratio | |||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect Moderate quality: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different Low quality: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect Very low quality: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect | |||||
1Downgraded one level for serious risk of bias (includes at least one study with overall high risk of bias). 2 Downgraded one level for inconsistency (I2 = 72%). 3Downgraded one level for imprecision (overlapping no effect).