A Review of Sternal Wound Complications in a Military Hospital

Abstract

A retrospective review of sternal wound complications was conducted during a recent 13-month period at the Naval Hospital, San Diego. These complications developed in 5 (3.0%) of 168 patients after they underwent coronary artery bypass with saphenous vein grafts. Three or more of these patients were male, obese, and hypertensive, with a significant smoking history. All these factors have been previously reported to be associated with an increase in the incidence of sternal wound complications. All patients had prolonged postoperative intensive care treatment, and ultimately all patients recovered and were discharged from the hospital. Interestingly, as opposed to other reviews, we were unable to show an association of sternal wound complications with the use of internal mammary artery harvesting.