Tracheostomy is not a risk factor for deep sternal wound infection in cardiac surgery patients

Abstract

Aims: Tracheostomy in cardiac surgery patients requiring prolonged ventilation has been associated with deep sternal wound infection (DSWI). However, there is evidence that respiratory failure (RF) rather than tracheostomy is the real cause of an increased risk of DSWI. In this study we therefore sought to determine the influence of both factors on the occurrence of this complication in a recent cohort of cardiac surgery patients.