ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Poly-L-lactide sternal coaptation pins have been gradual y used in clinic, but there are stil few reports about the clinical effects of poly-L-lactide sternal coaptation pins in sternal fractures and sternal fixation after heart surgery. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the clinical effects of poly-L-lactide sternal coaptation pins in coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS:Total y 150 patients who had received coronary artery bypass graft were enrol ed. Ninety-five out of 150 patients received sternal fixation using steel wires as control group, and the other 55 patients underwent sternal fixation using steel wires and poly-L-lactide sternal coaptation pins as test group. Pethidine dosage, incidence rates of pulmonary complications and wound infection, postoperative hospitalization days and hospital costs were compared between the two groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:During the fol ow-up period (3-8 years), there was no sternal infection and nonunion in the two groups. In the test group, pethidine dosage and hospitalization days were fewer than those in the control group (P0.05). These findings indicate that poly-L-lactide sternal coaptation pins are feasible in the coronary artery bypass grafting.