title: European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery expert consensus statement on the prevention and management of mediastinitis.
abstract: Mediastinitis continues to be an important and life-threatening complication after median sternotomy despite advances in prevention and treatment strategies, with an incidence of 0.25-5%. It can also occur as extension of infection from adjacent structures such as the oesophagus, airways and lungs, or as descending necrotizing infection from the head and neck. In addition, there is a chronic form of 'chronic fibrosing mediastinitis' usually caused by granulomatous infections. In this expert consensus, the evidence for strategies for treatment and prevention of mediatinitis is reviewed in detail aiming at reducing the incidence and optimizing the management of this serious condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK y.abuomar@nhs.net.
authors.forename: Yasir
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abu-Omar
authors.affiliation: Division of General Thoracic Surgery, Bern University Hospital / Inselspital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gregor J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Kocher
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bosco
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University of Turin-Italy, Città della Salute e della Scienza-San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbero
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Waller
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Landspitali University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gudbjartsson
authors.affiliation: Unit of Cardiac Surgery, Hospital Cruz Vermelha, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sousa-Uva
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Licht
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dunning
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Ralph A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.affiliation: Unit of Thoracic Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Camillo Forlanini, Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cardillo
mesh_terms: D032921:Consensus; D019468:Disease Management; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013903:Thoracic Surgery; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*
keywords: Cardiac surgery; General thoracic surgery; Guideline; Mediastinitis; Prevention; Treatment