Mediastinitis after pediatric cardiac surgery: a 15-year experience at a single institution

• Published in: The Annals of thoracic surgery Vol. 76; no. 5; pp. 1655 - 1660
• Main Authors: Tortoriello, Tia A, Friedman, Jeffrey D, McKenzie, E.Dean, Fraser, Charles D, Feltes, Timothy F, Randall, Jessica, Mott, Antonio R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiac Surgical Procedures - adverse effects; Cardiac Surgical Procedures - methods; Cardiology. Vascular system; Child; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Combined Modality Therapy; Debridement - methods; Drug Therapy, Combination - administration & dosage; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Heart Defects, Congenital - diagnosis; Heart Defects, Congenital - surgery; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Mediastinitis - diagnosis; Mediastinitis - etiology; Mediastinitis - therapy; Medical sciences; Pneumology; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Severity of Illness Index; Surgical Flaps; Surgical Wound Infection - diagnosis; Surgical Wound Infection - therapy; Treatment Outcome; Wound Healing - physiology; 5; Human; Heart; Pediatrics; Treatment; Mediastinum disease; Surgery; Mediastinitis; Anesthesia; Circulatory system; Institution; Cardiology; Child

The spectrum of sternal wound infections after cardiac surgery ranges from superficial infections to a deep sternal infection known as mediastinitis. Mediastinitis is a rare but clinically relevant source of postoperative morbidity and mortality in adult and pediatric patients after cardiac surgery....