A new study has found that a micro-anchor skin closure device—BandGrip—is more than five times faster in closing orthopedic incisions as compared to traditional sutures. The research, “Time to closure of orthopaedic surgical incisions: a novel skin closure device versus conventional sutures,” appears in the February 11, 2021 edition of The Journal of Wound Care.
Micro-Anchor Closure Technology More Than 5X Faster
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“BandGrip allows for more efficient surgical incision closure,” notes the study’s lead author, Brian Cole, M.D., M.B.A., a world-renowned orthopedic sports medicine surgeon, specializing in shoulder, elbow and knee at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. “Time to close surgical skin incision is significantly less with the use of BandGrip when compared with conventional sutures.”
BandGrip, Inc., based in Chicago, Illinois, states that its flagship product is “…a 3.5”x1.5” bandage that offers a minimally invasive method of skin closure without the use of needles or staples. Its design enables a variety of healthcare professionals to apply and remove the bandage during the management of surgical incisions. BandGrip uses minimally-invasive micro-anchors that gently and securely grip the top layer of skin (dermis)—yet not pierce it—to pull skin edges together.”
“We anticipated BandGrip would provide reliable closure with significantly lower time burden when compared with suture closure,” notes Dr. Cole, who consults and is an advisor to BandGrip. “Now, our research confirms it.” Subcuticular needle sutures have long been used by surgeons, but Dr. Cole recognized the potential in the micro-anchor skin closure device when he started using it in the spring of 2019.
Fred Smith, founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board at BandGrip stated, “BandGrip is designed to improve the overall quality of surgical incisions. There are many superior benefits to BandGrip—both for patients and their surgeons. We are excited see more clinical research verifying that BandGrip brings to the OR a reduction in complications related to the surgical site in addition to time savings and minimal scarring, proving BandGrip is the most advanced and intuitive skin closure device in the industry.”
OTW asked Dr. Cole how much total time BandGrip could potentially save in one day and he said, “On a full day of surgery, it can save 60-90 minutes. Compared to all alternatives, it is the most efficient, reproducible and patient friendly skin closure system I have ever used.”
Stay tuned, for sure.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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