title: Smart placement of a mediastinal drain in a neonate who requires a postoperative open sternum.
abstract: Crowding of the mediastinum after complex cardiac repair procedures in neonates and young children is a frequent problem. To create space, the sternal wound is kept open, commonly with a plastic stent, for later closure. Despite this maneuver, space is still an issue, and appropriate placement of the mediastinal drain can become a challenge. In this article we describe a simple and effective way to eliminate the problem. Holes are made in the sternal stent, and the drain is pulled through these holes. The drain is elevated away from the heart surface and does not contribute to the crowding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: kiet.tran@ki.se.
authors.forename: Phan-Kiet
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olin
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mentz-Karlsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Malm
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Johansson-Ramgren
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sune
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery*