A protective device for negative-pressure therapy in patients with mediastinitis.

A devastating complication associated with negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) after cardiac surgical intervention is heart rupture resulting in serious bleeding. The benefit of a rigid barrier between the underlying organs and the sharp sternal edges has been demonstrated in pigs. In the present article, we present our first 6 patients with deep sternal wound infection treated with NPWT in combination with a protective device. The median duration of NPWT was 8 days (range, 6-14 days). No major bleeding or signs of organ damage were observed. The use of a protective device seems to decrease the risk of bleeding complications. Copyright © 2013 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Richard Ingemansson, Malin Malmsjö, Sandra Lindstedt. A protective device for negative-pressure therapy in patients with mediastinitis. The Annals of thoracic surgery. 2013 Jan;95(1):362-4

Mesh Tags

PMID: 23272868

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