title: Vacuum-assisted closure to treat deep sternal wound infection following cardiac surgery.
abstract: Deep sternal wound infection is a devastating and potentially lethal complication following cardiac surgery. Established treatment may involve debridement, packing, delayed closure, plastic reconstruction, re-wiring and irrigation, depending on the severity of infection. The authors prefer early debridement and rewiring with irrigation if possible. If this method fails the results are often poor. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) of complex infected wounds has recently gained popularity among various surgical specialties. This article describes the successful application of this novel technique in a patient with infected sternal dehiscence who had failed to respond to conventional treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Wessex Regional Thoracic and Cardiac Unit, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Okri
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Haw
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013249:Sternum; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014618:Vacuum