Sternal wound infections following open heart surgery – a review

Figures & data

Figure 1. (a) Purulent deep sternal wound infection detected one week from surgery. The sternal wires are still in place, (b) the patient after application of a negative wound therapy and (c) one week later. See text for details. Photos: Tomas Gudbjartsson. Published with the courtesy of the Icelandic Medical Journal.

Table 1. CDC criteria for the diagnosis of DSWI (Horan et al. [10]).

a) Organisms cultured from mediastinal tissue or fluid obtained during a surgical operation or needle aspiration

b) Evidence of mediastinitis seen during a surgical operation or histopathological examination

c) At least one of the following signs or symptoms with no other recognized cause: fever (>38 °C), chest pain, or sternal instability and at least 1 of the following:

a) purulent discharge from mediastinal area

b) organisms cultured from blood, or discharge from mediastinal area

c) mediastinal widening on X-ray

Figure 2. A fistulography showing a SCF in the lower sternum.

Horan TC, Andrus M, Dudeck MA. CDC/NHSN surveillance definition of health care-associated infection and criteria for specific types of infections in the acute care setting. Am J Infect Control. 2008;36:309–332.

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