The international surgical journal with global reach

This is the Scientific Surgery Archive, which contains all randomized clinical trials in surgery that have been identified by searching the top 50 English language medical journal issues since January 1998. Compiled by Jonothan J. Earnshaw, former Editor-in-Chief, BJS

Impact of hair removal on surgical site infection rates: a prospective randomized noninferiority trial. J Am Coll Surg 2016; 223: 704–711.

Published: 30th March 2017

Authors: Kowalski TJ, Kothari SN, Mathiason MA, Borgert AJ

Conclusion

Some 1543 patients completed trial follow-up. Surgical site infection rates were lower in patients who had hair clipping (6.12 versus 6.32 per cent, P=0.037), but the prespecified non-inferiority margin of 2 per cent was not reached.

Pubmed Link