Which is the Better Method of Wound Closure in Patients Undergoing Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery: Sutures or Skin Clips?

Surgical wound closure plays an important part in any procedure and there are a considerable number of closure techniques in use today. This literature review will discuss the use of skin clips (staples) and sutures as used in an orthopaedic setting, specifically among patients having hip or knee replacement surgery. This subject has generated a considerable amount of debate and both types of closure are widely used. We were therefore interested in which technique had a lower incidence of infection.