title: Silver-Impregnated Dressings for Sternotomy Incisions to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Children.
abstract: The consequences of surgical site infections can be severe and range from short-term delays in discharge from the hospital to life-threatening infections such as mediastinitis.
  
  
  
  To evaluate the effectiveness of silver-impregnated dressings in decreasing surgical site infections in children after cardiac surgery.
  
  
  
  A randomized, controlled trial was used to compare silver-impregnated dressings (59 participants) with standard dressings (58 participants). The study team supervised all dressing changes after a sternotomy and ensured adherence with the hospital's bundle for reduction of surgical site infections. The ASEPSIS tool was used to evaluate sternal wounds for evidence of infection.
  
  
  
  The 2 groups had comparable Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery scores, age, sex, weight, height, operating room characteristics, and number of chest tubes and/or pacemaker wires. No surgical site infections occurred in any study participant. Infections did occur, however, during the same period, in cardiac surgical patients who were not enrolled in the study.
  
  
  
  The evidence did not support the superiority of silver-impregnated dressings for prevention of surgical site infections in children after cardiac surgery. Adherence to a bundle for prevention of surgical site infections may have decreased the incidence of such infections in the study population during the study period.
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. Sandra.staveski@cchmc.org.
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Staveski
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: Abrajano
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: May
authors: M
authors: Casazza
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: Ellen
authors: E
authors: Bair
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: Hanson
authors: H
authors: Quan
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Dong
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: Amy
authors: A
authors: Petty
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Felix
authors: Sandra Staveski is an assistant professor, Research in Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Claire Abrajano, May Casazza, and Ellen Bair are nurse practitioners and Hanson Quan, Emily Dong, Amy Petty, and Katie Felix are cardiovascular surgery physician assistants, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California. Stephen J. Roth is a professor, Department of Pediatrics, and chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a pediatric cardiac intensivist and director, Children's Heart Center, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
authors: Stephen J
authors: SJ
authors: Roth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001458:Bandages; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D064872:Patient Care Bundles / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012834:Silver / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D056346:Sternotomy / Q000379:methods*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D012834:Silver