| Ritchie AJ and Rocke LG, 1989, Northern Ireland | 200 patients attending A&E over a 6 month period, with scalp lacerations | Prospective randomised study | Speed of repair | Average 49 sec to close stapled wound and 6 min 20 sec to close sutured wound | 39% of patients missed the second wound review at 3 weeks |
| | | Patient discomfort | Wound repair with staples was less painful than with sutures | Cost only takes into account price of material equipment |
| | | Cost | £4.25 per stapled wound, £2 per sutured wound | |
| | | Wound complications | No difference in wound complications | |
| Brickman KR and Lambert RW, 1989, USA | 76 emergency patients with scalp, trunk, and extremity lacerations | Observational study looking at stapled wounds | Time efficiency | Most wounds were closed within 30 sec | 67% of wounds were scalp lacerations |
| | | Cosmesis | One scalp wound and one leg wound dehisced | 17 patients lost at 7 day follow up |
| | | Wound complications | Two stapled wounds dehisced | 37% also contacted 6 months later |
| | | Cost efficiency | Most wound closures with staples cost $5.11 compared with $9–$11 for suture closure | Paper does not use physicians time to calculate cost, nor does it include the cost of suture kits for stapling |
| | | Patient satisfaction | None were dissatisfied | |
| | | Physician satisfaction | As a new technique they found it easy and rapid | |
| MacGregor FB et al, 1989, Scotland | 100 consecutive patients presenting to A&E with superficial lacerations | Prospective randomised study | Speed of repair | Mean time per staple 18.6 sec, mean time per suture 124 sec | Not all lacerations involved the scalp |
| | | Cost | 5 staples £4.14, 5 sutures £2.36 | Times included skin preparation |
| | | Ease of removal | No difference | Physicians time not used to calculate costs |
| | | Wound complications at time of removal | No difference | |
| | | Patient acceptability | More patients found staples acceptable. No local anaesthetic applied for stapling | |
| Orlinsky M et al, 1995, USA | Patients presenting to the emergency department with linear lacerations of the scalp, extremities and trunk | Prospective randomised study | Time efficiency | Average speed of stapling 8.3 seconds per cm, and for suturing 63.2 seconds per cm | Unable to report wound healing outcomes as follow up poor |
| | | Cost of repair | Average cost of wound repair by staple, $7.08 if no suture kit used, and $17.69 if kit used. Average cost suture repair was $21.58 | |