Introduction:

Chronic  compound wounds  are  common due to increase in  trauma. Wound closure using external fixators is described ,  bringing the  inherent skin properties into play, and here 24 guage  Stainless Steel  wire  was used .

AIM:

 To study the effectiveness of  wound closure in compound  chronic wounds using 24 guage  Stainless Steel  wire.

RESULTS:  Study was done on  15 males, and five females , aged between 10 to 60 years, with wounds  on leg, varying in sizes between 15 and 96 square centimeters. The wound closure was achieved  in two weeks. Two complications of wire cutting, were addressed by skin grafting

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

 Prospective  study was done using 24 guage Stainless steel wire on  20  patients  in   Gandhi hospital  in  2017.

 Under Local  anesthesia , two 24 guage wires were introduced in the sub–dermal plane,  twisting was done on alternate days to narrow down the  wound size, till approximation. 

DISCUSSION:   Skin has inherent properties like elasticity, stress relaxation and creep.  Stainless steel wire, was used towards achieving wound closure by expanding the skin, and in all  local anaesthesia, was used on out–patient basis, needing lesser time  than the flap cover . The  approximation time was less than three weeks.