SynthesisPloS one2013
A systematic review of systematic reviews and panoramic meta-analysis: staples versus sutures for surgical procedures.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Perioperative oxygen therapy in patients undergoing surgical procedures: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Extended Reality Interventions for Health and Procedural Anxiety: Panoramic Meta-Analysis Based on Overviews of Reviews.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Hyperthermic intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy and cytoreductive surgery for people with peritoneal metastases: a systematic review and cost-effectiveness analysis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Pooled it
- Cognitive-behavioural therapy for a variety of conditions: an overview of systematic reviews and panoramic meta-analysis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2021Pooled it
- The evidence for cognitive behavioural therapy in any condition, population or context: a meta-review of systematic reviews and panoramic meta-analysis.Psychological medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Cannabis use and psychosis: a review of reviews.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2020Pooled it
- Lurasidone in the Treatment of Bipolar Depression: Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews.BioMed research international · 2017Pooled it
- Integrated care programmes for adults with chronic conditions: a meta-review.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2014Pooled it
- Visualization of Multi-indication Randomized Control Trial Evidence to Support Decision Making in Oncology: A Case Study on Bevacizumab.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2026Article
- Usability Testing of a Hair Apposition Device for Scalp Laceration: A Manikin Simulation Study.Emergency medicine international · 2026Article
- Efficacy and outcomes of surgical staples as an alternative to conventional skin closure in canine mastectomy.PloS one · 2025Article
- Risk factors for wound healing complications after revascularization for MMD with complete Y-shaped incision.Scientific reports · 2023Observational
- Comparing intracorporeal mechanical anastomosis vs. hand-sewn esophagojejunostomy after total laparoscopic gastrectomy for esophagogastric junction cancer: a single-center study.World journal of surgical oncology · 2023Article
- A reinforced suture method for stapled gastrointestinal anastomosis to reduce gastrointestinal hemorrhage during Whipple operation in laparoscopy.Annals of surgical treatment and research · 2022Article
- Bowel anastomosis leakage following endometriosis surgery: an evidence based analysis of risk factors and prevention techniques.Facts, views & vision in ObGyn · 2020Review
- Article
- Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: Does the Direction of Staples Matter?Obesity surgery · 2018Article
- An Effective New Intestinal Anastomosis Method.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2016Article
- Objective assessment of the suture ligature method for the laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis model using a new computerized system.Surgical endoscopy · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo systematically evaluate the evidence across surgical specialties as to whether staples or sutures better improve patient and provider level outcomes.
designA systematic review of systematic reviews and panoramic meta-analysis of pooled estimates.
resultsEleven systematic reviews, including 13,661 observations, met the inclusion criteria. In orthopaedic surgery sutures were found to be preferable, and for appendicial stump sutures were protective against both surgical site infection and post surgical complications. However, staples were protective against leak in ilecolic anastomosis. For all other surgery types the evidence was inconclusive with wider confidence intervals including the possibly of preferential outcomes for surgical site infection or post surgical complication for either staples or sutures. Whilst reviews showed substantial variation in mean differences in operating time (I(2) 94%) there was clear evidence of a reduction in average operating time across all surgery types. Few reviews reported on length of stay, but the three reviews that did (I(2) 0%, including 950 observations) showed a non significant reduction in length of stay, but showed evidence of publication bias (P-value for Egger test 0.05).
conclusionsEvidence across surgical specialties indicates that wound closure with staples reduces the mean operating time. Despite including several thousand observations, no clear evidence of superiority emerged for either staples or sutures with respect to surgical site infection, post surgical complications, or length of stay.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.