OBJECTIVES To determine the sensitivity and specificity of a novel ELISA for the serodiagnosis of surgical site infection (SSI) due to staphylococci following median sternotomy. METHODS Twelve patients with a superficial sternal SSI and 19 with a deep sternal SSI due to Staphylococcus aureus were compared with 37 control patients who also underwent median sternotomy for cardiac surgery but ex...

STUDY OBJECTIVES To assess whether (1) there is an increased incidence of sternal fractures associated with internal mammary artery (IMA) revascularization in open heart surgery and (2) there is a higher incidence of pain in postoperative patients with sternal fractures. METHODS Two hundred eighty-eight consecutive adult patients who had undergone cardiac surgery underwent median sternotomy f...

The sternal lymph nodes receive drainage from a wide variety of structures in the thoraco-abdominal region. Evaluation of these lymph nodes is essential, especially in cancer patients. Computed tomography (CT) can detect sternal lymph nodes more accurately than radiography or ultrasonography, and the criteria of the sternal lymphadenopathy are unknown. The purpose of this retrospective study wa...

AIM To investigate the relation between use of bone wax and postoperative sternal dehiscence after cardiac surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS Five thousnad three hundred and eighteen consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery between 1999 and 2009 were evaluated prospectively. Perioperative use of bone wax, perioperative data and outcome parameters were recorded. Multivariate logistic regr...

Transverse sternal nonunion, repair and revision: a case report and review of the literature. J Trauma. 2009;66:1485–8. 3. Potaris K, Gakidis J, Mihos P, Voutsinas V, Deligeorgis A, Petsinis V. Management of sternal fractures: 239 cases. Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2002;10:145–9. 4. Morgan A. Treatment of chronic nonunion of a sternal fracture with bone morphogenetic protein. Ann Thorac Surg. ...

BACKGROUND Many authors have claimed that hyperthyroidism protects against thyroid cancer and believed that the incidence of malignancy is lower in patients with toxic multinodular goiter (TMG) than in those with non-toxic multinodular goiter. But in recent studies, it was reported that the incidence of malignancy with TMG is not as low as previously thought. AIM To compare the thyroid cancer...

OBJECTIVES Deep sternal wound infections are significant and severe complications following cardiac surgery and substantially influence perioperative morbidity and mortality. We present the experience of our department using two different surgical treatments over a three-year period. METHODS Between January 2009 and December 2011, a total of 3274 cardiac procedures with complete median sterno...

BACKGROUND Sternal dehiscence is one of the most troublesome complications following cardiac surgery. Treatment failure and consequent lethal outcomes are very common. The aim of this study was to evaluate titanium plate fixation as a treatment for sternal dehiscence following major cardiac surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 2010 and 2012, 17 patients underwent sternal reconstruction usin...

PURPOSE Deep sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery have an incidence of 2 to 8% and carry a significant mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of thermo-reactive Nitinol clips on the incidence of postoperative deep sternal wound complications. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 1119 consecutive patients that underwent major cardiac surgery via median sternoto...

Corresponding author: Yücel Özen, M.D. Kartal Koşuyolu Yüksek İhtisas Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi Kliniği, 34844 Cevizli, Kartal, İstanbul, Turkey. Tel: +90 505 872 76 56 e-mail: [email protected] Objectives: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of the sternal cable system (Cable group) with the standard monofilament system (Wire group) in the sternal closu...