Sternal instability with mediastinitis is a very serious complication after median sternotomy. Sternal dehiscence repair together with debridement of the infected tissue is the mainstay of therapy where various modalities are employed. Here, we report the use of titanium plate for sternum stabilization in a patient with sternal dehiscence and superficial wound infection.

OBJECTIVES Bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafting is extensively underused in coronary artery bypass graft surgery and it is mostly preserved for patients under the age of 70. The purpose of the present study was to compare outcomes in propensity score-matched patients aged 70 years or greater using a BITA, with patients using a single internal thoracic artery (SITA) graft. METHOD...

ObjectiveRecent single-center and experimental data suggested greater adverse cardiac events for patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) in the morning (AM) versus afternoon (PM). However, previous studies coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have found no similar time-related difference. We examined impact of AM PM operative time on surgical outcomes CABG AVR a diverse, multi-inst...

BACKGROUND To compare in a prospective randomized study Mersilene tape and standard metal wire for complications and pain upon sternal wound closure. METHODS Sixty-four patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were prospectively randomized to undergo sternal closure using either Mersilene tape (n=30) or standard metal wire (n=34). The intensity of postoperative pain from the chest wound was ass...

BACKGROUND Coagulase-negative staphylococci cause 33% to 62.5% of wound infections after cardiac operations. The aim of this study was to investigate the sources of coagulase-negative staphylococci in the sternal wound. METHODS Twenty operations performed in zonal ventilated operating rooms were investigated prospectively. Cultures were taken from all persons present in the room, the sternal ...

backgrond burn wound infections carry considerable mortality and morbidity amongst burn injury victims who have been successfully rescued through the initial resuscitation. this study assessed the prevalent microrganisms causing burn wound infections among hospitalized patients their susceptibility pattern to commonly used antibiotics and the frequency of infections with respect to the duration...