A comprehensive surgical approach to the treatment of deep sternal wound infection after heart transplantation

Abstract

Deep wound infection of the anterior chest wall tissues in patients after transsternal cardiac surgery despite intensive developments in surgical techniques and improvement of antibacterial chemotherapy, remains a genuine concern worldwide [1]. The incidence of this complication in the general population ranges from 0.5 to 4% [2, 3]. Despite developed approaches in the treatment of cardiac surgery patients, the treatment of deep sternal wound infection and surrounding tissues following a heart transplantation still remains a rather serious and pressing challenge. This paper presents a clinical observation of a heart transplant recipient, complicated by deep postoperative wound infection. The strategy of staged surgical treatment of sternal osteomyelitis consisted of surgical wound debridement, local wound debridement with vacuum dressings, and reconstructive surgery at the final stage (sternal reosteosynthesis, plasty of the anterior chest wall wound with displaced skin and fascial flaps).