title: Treatment of mediastinitis with wound-vacuum without muscle flaps.
abstract: Wound vacuum may represent a new solution to the treatment of patients with mediastinitis. We herein present case reports of two patients with very serious deep wound infections of the sternum (mediastinitis) treated with wound vacuum without muscle flaps. The implications of this new modality of treatment are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Calcaterra
authors.forename: Lisardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garcia-Covarrubias
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Tomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Salerno
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D013249:Sternum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014945:Wound Healing