BACKGROUND Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is a serious postoperative complication of cardiac surgery. In this study we investigated the incidence of DSWI and effect of re-exploration for bleeding on DSWI mortality. METHODS We reviewed 73,700 cases registered in the Japan Adult Cardiovascular Surgery Database (JACVSD) during the period from 2004 to 2009 and divided them into five groups: ...

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...

AIM Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) was primarily designed for the treatment of pressure ulcers or chronic, debilitating wounds. Recently, VAC has become an encouraging treatment modality for sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery, providing superior results to conventional treatment strategies. METHODS From November 2004 to September 2006, 34 patients, undergoing VAC therapy for sternal...

BACKGROUND Deep sternal wound infection and mediastinitis determine high in-hospital mortality. International studies show that these patients are also at increased cardiovascular mortality risk in long-term follow-up. However, data are scarce and there is no national data. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to evaluate the mortality and incidence of cardiovascular events in long-term follow...

Background and Objectives: Duration of antibiotic prophylaxis for cardiac surgery is still debated and controversial. International guidelines are vague: French guidelines recommend an intraoperative administration, while the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ guidelines suggest that optimal postoperative prophylactic antibiotics be given for 48 hours or less. Very few studies have compared the same...

BACKGROUND To report our experience, with Deep mediastinal wound infections (DMWI). Emphasis was given to the management of deep infections with omental flaps METHODS From February 2000 to October 2007, out of 3896 cardiac surgery patients (prospective data collection) 120 pts (3.02%) developed sternal wound infections. There were 104 males & 16 females; (73.7%) CABG, (13.5%) Valves & (9.32%)...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the influence of deep sternal wound infection on long-term survival following cardiac surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS In our institutional database we retrospectively evaluated medical records of 4732 adult patients who received open-heart surgery from January 1995 through December 2005. The predictive factors for DSWI were determined using logistic re...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of topical rifamycin SV treatment against sternal wound infection (SWI) in diabetic patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS One hundred and fifty-nine diabetic patients who were scheduled to undergo isolated on-pump CABG surgery were included. Eight were excluded for various reas...

OBJECTIVE Postoperative deep sternal wound infection is a severe complication of cardiac surgery, with a high mortality rate and a high morbidity rate. The objective of this prospective study is to report our experience with the vacuum assisted closure (VAC) system for the management of deep wound infection. We also devised an innovative closure technique post VAC therapy using thermo reactive ...