Most repair of heart lesions and pectus deformity has been performed in adult patients using long incisions, sternal splits, excision of deformed cartilages, and sternal turnover operations that could result in poor cosmesis and chest growth in children because of sternal devascularization. We performed simultaneous pectus repair and atrial septal defect closure in 2 children using a short long...

PURPOSE The surgical management of the patients with traumatic sternal fractures remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an early surgical reconstruction of a displaced sternal fracture utilizing longitudinal rigid polymer fixation in the settings of an acute chest trauma. METHODS To perform the sternal fixation, we utilized a longitudinal rigid plati...

Established preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in cardiac surgery is ineffective against methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). This case-control study aimed to determine factors predicting deep sternal wound infections due to methicillin-resistant CoNS. All cardiac surgery patients undergoing sternotomy between June 2009 and March 2013 prospectively documented in a Swi...

PURPOSE Bilateral in situ internal thoracic artery (ITA) bypassing may result in excellent myocardial revascularization without increasing the risk of deep sternal wound infection. Although there have been concerns with the use of pedicled bilateral ITA, the risk of infection may not be greater than the use of skeletonized ITA. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was retrospectively under...

BACKGROUND The routine implementation of sternal precautions to prevent sternal complications that restrict the use of the upper limbs is currently worldwide practice following a median sternotomy. However, evidence is limited and drawn primarily from cadaver studies and orthopaedic research. Sternal precautions may delay recovery, prolong hospital discharge and be overly restrictive. Recent re...

We report a case of sternal non-union after open aortic valve replacement surgery in a 48-year-old man. The sternotomy was repaired using stainless steel wires and later, 'flexigrip' cables. He presented to us six months later complaining of persistent pain in the sternotomy site. CT-scan confirmed a sternal non-union. After consultation with the ultrasound device, and aortic valve manufacturer...

The patient requested CT/PET imaging as part of her preoperative evaluation. This scan revealed a metabolically active lytic lesion in the manubrium of the sternum (Figure 1). Several different radiologists were consulted, and opinions differed as to whether or not this likely represented a metastatic lesion. After reviewing the case with several radiologists, the surgeon chose to proceed with ...