title: Sternal dehiscence accompanied by protrusion of the left lung through the chest wall.
abstract: We report an almost complete protrusion of the lung through the anterior chest wall occurring as a complication following sternal dehiscence. Emergency treatment is mandatory since it has a high potential for incarceration, hemopneumothorax, respiratory failure, and infection. Twenty-eight days after coronary by-pass surgery, the left lung of a 66-year-old male patient almost completely protruded through the sternotomy incision in the chest wall; the lung tissue was successfully reduced and the sternotomy was closed. Recurrence was not observed within the 6-month follow-up period, his general condition was good. The clinical course of the patient was retrospectively reviewed, and this case was reported with a unique complication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medicana Camlica Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. siyamie@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sezai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Onur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gurer
authors.forename: Cuneyt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aydemir
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001864:Bone Wires; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006547:Hernia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D056346:Sternotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D035441:Thoracic Wall; D013905:Thoracoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014945:Wound Healing