The objective of this study was to compare time efficiency and complication rates between smooth monofilament suture (SMS) and barbed suture (BS) using a three-layer continuous-continuous closure pattern after ovariohysterectomy. We hypothesized that BS is more efficient than SMS using the continuous-continuous closure pattern in canine OVH and would have equivalent complication rates. A randomized controlled trial was designed enrolling 71 adult female dogs. Dogs were randomly assigned to SMS or BS treatments. The effect of closure with BS or SMS on closure time was tested by multilevel, multivariable linear regression in a generalized linear mixed model.Body condition score, weight, and pre-closure incision length were tested as covariates. Surgeon was included in the model as a random effect. No peri-operative complications were reported for either closure method. The average pre-closure incision length for SMS was 3.89 cm (range = 3-4.5cm) and 4.02 cm (range= 3-5cm) for BS. Adjusting for pre-closure incision length the average time for three-layer closure with SMS was 6.5 minutes (range 3.70-10.31 minutes) and with BS was 4.91 minutes (range 3.05-8.05 minutes). Accounting for closure method, the closure time increased by 39 seconds for each additional cm of incision length. BS was significantly faster than SMS when performing the three-layer continuous-continuous suture pattern (P<0.001). No complications were noted with either treatment method. BS can improve efficiency in surgical closures, especially considering large volumes of animals, and appears to have a similar complication rate when compared to SMS.
