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Time from injury to wound closure is widely believed to correlate with risk for infection. Researchers prospectively evaluated wound infection rates in 408 consecutive adult patients who presented to a level I trauma center in the Netherlands with traumatic wounds that were closed by surgical residents (with nonabsorbable sutures), regardless of the time since injury. Before suturing, wounds were disinfected and cleaned further, depending on the amount of contamination. All wounds were photographed at presentation and at follow-up (at 7–12 days, depending on wound type); photographs were reviewed by two independent surgeons for evidence of infection, which was defined as any redness at follow-up.
Eleven percent of wounds were closed more tha…