Efforts to Reduce Infections in Delayed Sternal Closure Patients: A Survey of Pediatric Practice

Background: Pediatric patients with sternum left open after cardiac surgery experience a higher risk for sternal wound infection (SWI). These infections are costly for programs, payers, and patients and their families. Despite efforts by individual programs to reduce infections in patients undergoin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:World journal for pediatric & congenital heart surgery 2020-05, Vol.11 (3), p.310-315
Main Authors: Woodward, Cathy, Taylor, Richard, Son, Minnette, Taeed, Roozbeh, Husain, S. Adil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Cardiac Surgical Procedures
Child
Coronary Artery Bypass - adverse effects
Female
Heart Defects, Congenital - surgery
Humans
Male
Pediatrics - organization & administration
Pediatrics - trends
Reconstructive Surgical Procedures
Retrospective Studies
Sternotomy - adverse effects
Sternum - surgery
Surgical Wound Infection - prevention & control
Surveys and Questionnaires
Time Factors
Wound Closure Techniques - adverse effects
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Summary:Background: Pediatric patients with sternum left open after cardiac surgery experience a higher risk for sternal wound infection (SWI). These infections are costly for programs, payers, and patients and their families. Despite efforts by individual programs to reduce infections in patients undergoing delayed sternal closure (DSC), there are no established guidelines that address preventive procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine the practice of pediatric cardiac surgery programs to prevent infection in their DSC patients and if preventive measures were associated with less infections. Methods: A 33 question survey on institutional practices was sent to chief surgeons at pediatric cardiac surgery programs in the United States. Results: Twenty-eight (35%) surgical programs responded. The mean number of pediatric cardiac bypass operations performed by programs in 2016 was 227 (range: 69-872). Data represented 6,484 patients
ISSN:2150-1351
2150-136X
DOI:10.1177/2150135120907372