Elastic device facilitating delayed primary closure of sternal wound infection.

Abstract

Management of the sternal wound after extensive debridement continues to be a resource-intensive problem in cardiac surgery. There are a number of techniques available to achieve definitive closure of these wounds, all of which have limited effectiveness or are associated with serious complications. This article describes the use of a novel elastic system that approximates these wounds gradually, achieving dynamic wound closure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of this system. We report our initial series of 3 patients who underwent dynamic wound closure using a novel elastomer system after debridement for sternal wound infection. All patients achieved satisfactory healing with a mean duration of 29 days of treatment without additional procedures. Dynamic wound closure is an effective and feasible method of dealing with the open sternotomy wound after debridement.