[Vacuum assisted closure for the treatment of sternal wound infections -- rapid infection control and bridging to reconstructive surgery].
Vacuum Assisted Closure (V.A.C.) is a sound strategy to control severe post-sternotomy infection. Secondary re-wiring of the sternal bone or reconstructive surgery may be required later to achieve complete wound closure. Ten patients with severe sternal bone infection underwent initial V.A.C. therapy and delayed surgery for wound closure. Complete wound healing was achieved in all cases. As a case report we describe a patient with right-sided mastectomy and irradiation for breast cancer, who developed severe post-sternotomy infection and sternal bone necrosis following CABG. A combination of V.A.C. therapy and surgical reconstruction using a pedicled latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap led to complete wound closure.
Abteilung für Herz-, Thorax- und Gefässchirurgie, Klinikum Braunschweig. i.kutschka@klinikum-braunschweig.de
I
I
Kutschka
S
S
Dziadzka
A
A
El Essawi
P-J
PJ
Flory
W
W
Harringer
D000038:Abscess / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D001864:Bone Wires; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003646:Debridement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008371:Manubrium / Q000601:surgery; D015409:Mastectomy, Radical; D008875:Middle Aged; D009779:Occlusive Dressings; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000601:surgery*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011855:Radiodermatitis / Q000601:surgery; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012307:Risk Factors; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000601:surgery*; D014618:Vacuum