What's the Best Choice for a C-Section: Staples or Stitches?

What's better when getting a C-section-sutures or surgical staples? That's a good question, and it's one which researchers have decided to investigate a bit more thoroughly in order to learn exactly which method is safest for a new mother.

"There has been ongoing debate in the field about the use of sutures versus staples," said Vincenzo Berghella, one of the researchers, in a news release. "C-sections are a common procedure in the United States, and yet we still haven't established the best way to close these incisions."

In fact, C-sections account for about a third of all deliveries in the United States. In China, this number is as high as 46 percent. Over 50 percent of doctors use staples over sutures due to ease of use, speed of procedure and for closing deeper incisions, such as those in overweight women.

The researchers examined a total of 746 pregnant women who received cesarean sections. More specifically, they looked at two groups-one group had incisions that were sewn while the other group had incisions that were stapled. There were about equal numbers of overweight or obese women in both groups.

So what did they find? It turns out that complications were 57 percent less likely to occur in patients whose incisions were closed with suture.

"Based on these results, we recommend that C-section incisions be closed with stitches rather than staples," said Berghella.

The findings reveal that C-sections should be closed with stitches. This could help reduce the amount of complications seen in hospitals and could allow a mother to recover more quickly from a C-section.

The findings are published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.