A comparative study of scalpel and electrosurgical incision on subsequent wound healing.

The mechanical strength of incisions in the anterior abdominal wall using either scalpel or electrocautery was compared by measuring the bursting stresses of the resulting wounds. Statistically significant differences were shown to occur in the first and thirty-fifth postoperative days. Between the seventh and tenth postoperative days, when wound dehiscence is most likely to occur, no difference in the rupture strength could be detected.