Treatment of severe mediastinitis following cardiac surgery with omental flaps.

1 of 2 DESCRIPTION The incidence of mediastinal wound infection in patients undergoing open heart surgery can be up to 4%. 1 A subgroup of 20–30% of those patients as per El Oakley and Wright 2 develops deep sternal infections. Radical debridement is of a paramount importance, therefore sternal excision becomes a necessity in cases with severe sternal osteomyelitis. Under those circumstances various fl aps have been used. 3