European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of tissue adhesive and suturing in the repair of lacerations in the emergency department.
The objective of this study was to compare the applications of Histoacryl Blue (HAB) and suturing regarding cosmetic outcome, cost and patient and physician satisfaction in the emergency department (ED). A total of 92 consecutive adult patients with lacerations equal to or shorter than 5 cm were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomized to either HAB or suturing. ⋯ Costs of HAB were significantly lower than sutures (p=0.0001). It is concluded that HAB is a cheaper method of laceration repair and results in greater satisfaction of both patients and physicians, while cosmetic outcomes were comparable. These results suggest that HAB is a viable alternative to suturing for selected lacerations in the ED.