Is a fat stitch required when closing a hip hemiarthroplasty wound without a drain?

SummaryStudies have shown no benefit of a subcutaneous fat stitch when closing hip wounds, but all have been in the presence of a drain. Our aim was to determine whether, in the absence of a drain, suturing or not of the subcutaneous fat layer in hip hemiarthroplasty wounds had any significant effect on wound complication rate. We performed a prospective cohort study of 45 hip hemiarthroplasty patients who had a fat stitch and 40 who did not. No drains were used in either group. There were 44 patients in the fat stitch group and 35 in the no fat stitch group after six patients were excluded. The infection rate was 2% for the fat stitch group, and 20% for the no fat stitch group (p = 0.02). There were no cases of deep dehiscence in the fat stitch group, but four cases (11%) in the no fat stitch group (p = 0.035). The overall complication rate in the fat stitch group was 6.8% compared to 33% in the no fat stitch group (p = 0.007). In the absence of a drain, we have found a significant increase in hip hemiarthroplasty wound complications when the subcutaneous fat is not sutured.