320 patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty were prospectively randomized to receive wound closure with either running knotless barbed sutures or standard monofilament sutures. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of these two methods of incision closure. The results displayed that barbed sutures had a quicker closure time and lower incidence of wound complications compared to standard sutures. However, groups were comparable with respect to suture breakage, needle disengagement, saturation surface area of dressings, and wound dehiscence.