Sternal wound infections following open heart surgery – a review

Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common complications after open heart surgery. Fortunately, most are superficial and respond to minor wound debridement and antibiotics. However, 1–3% of patients develop deep sternal wound infections that can be fatal. Late infections with sternocutaneous fistulas, are encountered less often, but represent a complex surgical problem. This evidence-based review covers etiology, risk factors, prevention and treatment of sternal SSIs following open heart surgery with special focus on advances in treatment, especially negative-pressure wound therapy.

Keywords:

• Cardiac surgery
• prognosis
• risk factors
• surgical site infections
• treatment

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.