Approach to of infected sternotomy wounds in the management of mediastinitis

Mustafa Durgun,

doi:10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2012.160

Mustafa Durgun¹, Suna Ögücü Durgun², Hülda Rıfat Özakpınar¹, Avni Tolga Eryılmaz¹, Hüseyin Fatih Öktem¹, Emre İnözü¹, Ali Teoman Tellioğlu¹

¹Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Plastik Rekonstrüktif ve Estetik Cerrahi Kliniği, Ankara, Türkiye
²Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye

DOI : 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2012.160

Background: In this study, we aimed to discuss the surgical options for the management of sternum wounds due to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and to establish the most appropriate method.

Methods: In this study, wee valuated 27 patients (11 females, 16 males; mean age 63 years; range 53 to 77 years) who were referred to our clinic with tissue defect of sternum after CABG surgery between March 2005 and March 2011.

Results: Ten patients with superficial defects were reconstructed with skin grafting. Remaining 17 patients with exposed sternal bone underwent repair with 11 pectoral muscle-skin flaps and eight rectus abdominis muscle flaps.

Conclusion: The superficial defects which occur after CABG surgery can be easily treated by skin grafting. The most suitable method for the reconstruction of the deep sternal defects are pectoralis muscle flap for the upper 2/3 defects and rectus abdominis muscle flap for the lower 1/3 defects.

Keywords : Pectoralis muscle flap; presternal defect; rectus abdominis muscle flap

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