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- Title
Retained Foreign Bodies, The Cause of Postmidsternotomy Sinuses: Case Reports.
- Authors
Weiss, Jerry; Herman, Oscar; Siegman-Igra, Yardena; Shafir, Raphael
- Abstract
Postmidsternotomy chronic sinuses have received little attention in the literature. They are usually not a life-threatening complication but may sometimes lead to grave conditions such as acute mediastinitis, infection of prosthetic valves or vascular grafts, and sternal osteomyelitis. Most patients suffering from this problem usually undergo several unsuccessful surgical interventions owing to failure to recognize the underlying cause in the first place. The cause of the sinus is nearly always a foreign body situated deep within the tissues from the time of the original operation. The authors believe that it is of utmost importance that the extent of the sinus be demonstrated prior to surgery by sinogram or other imaging techniques. Unless the foreign object is identified and removed, the sinus will recur. Over the last four years, they treated 70 patients with postmidsternotomy complications; 14 of them had sternal sinuses. In each of the 14, some grade of wound infection occurred at the immediate postoperative period following the original operation. In all cases, a foreign body was identified prior to or during exploration and removed. These included wires, pacemaker electrodes, silk sutures, a Teflon pledget, and a piece of steridrape. Follow-up, ranging up to twenty-seven months, shows no recurrence of the sinuses.
- Subjects
MEDIASTINUM; CARDIAC surgery; SURGICAL complications; FOREIGN bodies; OPERATIVE surgery; SURGICAL site infections
- Publication
Vascular Surgery, 1990, Vol 24, Issue 3, p183
- ISSN
0042-2835
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/153857449002400306