Suture support: is it advantageous?

Sutures have been used to facilitate and enhance wound closure and healing throughout the course of medical history. Suturing is still the most common method of wound closure, but in some surgical situations suture support can improve clinical outcomes. Sutures provide mechanical support to a wound and help create the optimal environment for wound healing. However, suturing can give rise to such complications as bleeding from suture holes and air and fluid leakage. In the last 25 years, fibrin sealants have been used increasingly in the clinical setting to assist in the sealing of surgical wounds and to give additional mechanical support to a range of wounds during the early phases of wound healing. The use of fibrin sealants in addition to sutures has a direct effect on hemostasis and blood loss. Fibrin sealants also reduce the volume of fluid drained and air leakage postoperatively in head, neck, and thoracic surgery, in some cases resulting in a reduced length of hospital stay. The use of fibrin sealant as suture support can also reduce the number of sutures and the length of operations for intricate or complex procedures. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of how fibrin sealants acting as an adjunct to sutures affect surgical outcomes.