A Wire-Cutting Clamp Designed to Reduce Complications During Sternotomy Closure

Abstract

Sternal wire placement frequently results in glove disruption, wound contamination and personnel skin puncture. The described cutting clamp was developed to simplify sternotomy closure and reduce complications. Informed consent was obtained from 103 patients who underwent a variety of common cardiac surgical procedures. In each instance, once the cardiac portion of the procedure was completed, the median sternotomy was closed using standard sternal wires and the described cutting clamps. A single set of clamps was repeatedly re-sterilized and used for all cases. There were no incidents of unintentional clamp release, glove disruption or personnel skin punctures from the wire. None of the patients had clinically evident sternal wound infections or nonunion. There were no deaths. The functional attributes of the clamps remained constant throughout the study, and no significant wear was detected on the carbide inserts or other components of the clamps. The sternal wire-cutting clamp simplifies sternal closure and should reduce complications.