Journal of Rare Cardiovascular Diseases

Background: After heart surgery, mediastinitis is a serious complication that has an incidence rate of between 0.25 and 5 percent. Aim: to evaluate the length of hospital stay, the mortality rate, and the rate of sternal re-infection in patients treated with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) versus conventional therapy for post-sternotomy mediastinitis. Methods: We examined 78 patients who had post-sternotomy mediastinitis following heart surgery in the past. NPWT was used to treat 40 patients in a group, whereas conventional therapy was used to treat 38 patients. Results: Regarding primary cardiac surgery (mostly coronary artery bypass grafting) and preoperative data (EuroScore), there were no significant differences between the two groups. When compared to standard treatment, NPWT therapy was observed to lower the death rate (P = 0.005) and the sternal re-infection rate (P = 0.008). Conclusions: When compared to traditional treatment, NPWT for post-sternotomy mediastinitis shows promising clinical outcomes, including a decrease in the mortality and sternal re-infection rates. The first-line treatment for deep sternal wound infections is NPWT, according to these findings.