title: Major bleeding in patients with mediastinitis: a heartbreaking series.
abstract: Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is a life-threatening complication that develops in 5% of patients undergoing median sternotomy. One feared complication is major bleeding, associated with up to 50% mortality. We characterized a series of patients who experienced major bleeding following DSWI. We included eight patients with DSWI who experienced major bleeding at our institution from 1990 to 2012. The median age was 70.9 (range, 47-81) and the cohort consisted of seven male patients and one female patient. All eight patients required emergent surgical repair for the bleeding and all survived past 30 days postoperatively from the repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sue
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Narayan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D056346:Sternotomy; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000150:complications