Current Studies

A multicentre prospective cohort study evaluating different antiseptic skin preparation solutions before upper-limb surgery surgeons.org. CIPHUR involved 42 hospitals and 2,454 patients, making it one of the largest collaborative audits in hand surgery infection prevention.

Key Findings

The use of alcoholic chlorhexidine for preoperative skin antisepsis reduced the risk of surgical site infection by ~70% compared to povidone-iodine solutions. This is a striking outcome that has influenced infection control practices – the findings were published in BJS Open in late 2021 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govresearch-repository.uwa.edu.au and have been adopted as evidence in hand surgery protocols worldwide. The CIPHUR study also demonstrated the power of global collaboration: it included contributors from Australia, New Zealand, and multiple international sites, all credited under a collaborative authorship model.

An international clinician survey and cohort study examining suture material choices in skin lesion excisions surgeons.org. CANVAS gathered data from 377 clinicians and 3,589 patients across many hospitals, comparing outcomes between using non-absorbable sutures (removed after healing) versus absorbable sutures for skin closures.

Key Findings

There was significant variation in suture practices by specialty and a shift during the COVID-19 pandemic toward more absorbable suture use. Importantly, the study found no difference in wound complication rates between absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. These results, published in 2022, suggest that absorbable sutures can be used for convenience without compromising patient outcomes. The CANVAS study has been cited in developing new guidelines for skin closure and was presented at international dermatologic and plastic surgery meetings.

An inaugural trainee-led multicentre audit that helped establish the ACTPRAS network. STROBE was an observational study conducted across multiple training hospitals to assess variations in a common plastic surgery practice and identify areas for improvement. (While detailed results of STROBE are archived, the study demonstrated the feasibility of large-scale trainee collaboration and set the stage for our subsequent projects.)

A multicentre trial focused on improving peri-operative patient warming techniques during major reconstructive surgeries (particularly large burns surgery) surgeons.org. Maintaining body temperature is crucial for surgical patients; this study tests a new warming protocol/devices to see if it can better prevent hypothermia during lengthy plastic surgery operations.

Status: Active – enrolling patients, with interim analysis planned after first phase. (Note: optiTHERMM is run in partnership with an external network; see the study’s dedicated website for more information.)