Exposed bone cement technique and pectoralis major advancement muscle flap in treatment of chronic sternal osteomyelitis after coronary artery bypass surgery / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To analyse the effect of the exposed bone cement technique combined with pectoralis major muscle flap in the treatment of chronic sternal osteomyelitis after coronary artery bypass surgery(CABS), and to summarise the clinical experience of staged surgery and comprehensive treatment.Methods:A retrospective analysis were carried out on 5 patients who had chronic sternal osteomyelitis and treated with exposed bone cement after the CABS from October 2017 to October 2020. Five patients(4 males and 1 female) met the inclusion criteria with a mean age of 65(range from 54 to 72) years old. Duration of all the chronic sternal osteomyelitis was 3 weeks to 3 months at admission. During the perioperative period, the general condition of the patients was controlled and systemic nutritional support was given. At the first stage, all patients underwent complete debridement. Then all the wounds were treated with exposed bone cement and covered by vacuum sealing drainage(VSD) to control the infection. At the second stage, bone cement was removed, and the dead cavity was packed with pectoralis major advancement muscle flap. Close attention was paid to the tension of wound, the patency of drainage catheter and the drainage after surgery. The wound healing, scar hyperplasia and complications were observed during the follow-up.Results:The suture tension was moderate, the drainage catheter was unobstructed, and a little liquid was drawn without turbid. All patients were clinically cured and entered follow-up for 6 to 15 months. During the follow-up, there was neigher recurrence of osteomyelitis nor sinus tract formation. No significant complication occurred at the last follow-up. The quality of life of the patients was significantly improved and all the patients were satisfactory to the treatment.Conclusion:Exposed bone cement technique combined with pectoralis major muscle flap is an effective method in the treatment of chronic sternal osteomyelitis after CABS. It has a good short-term treatment efficacy and is worthy for further clinical trials.

Sternal osteomyelitis by Gordonia Bronchialis in an immunocompetent patient after open heart surgery

Gordonia is a catalase-positive, aerobic, nocardioform, Gram-positive staining actinomycete that also shows weak acid-fast staining. Several Gordonia species are commonly found in the soil. The bacterium has been isolated from the saliva of domesticated/wild dogs as well. In hospitalized patients, most commonly it is found in the setting of intravascular catheter-related infections. However, recent reports show that it is being increasingly isolated from sternal wounds, skin/neoplastic specimens and from pleural effusions. Gordonia shares many common characteristics with Rhodococcus and Nocardia. Ergo, it is commonly misrecognized as Nocardia or Rhodococcus. Since this pathogen requires comprehensive morphological and biochemical testing, it is often difficult and cumbersome to isolate the species. Broad-range Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing with genes like 16S rRNA or hsp65 are used to correctly identify the species. Identification is essential for choosing and narrowing the right antimicrobial agent. Herein, we report our experience with a patient who presented with sternal osteomyelitis after infection with this elusive bug.

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Pectoralis Major Myocutaneous Flap in the Treatment of Postoperative Sternal Osteomyelitis after CABG / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

We report two cases with postoperative sternal osteomyelitis after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), in whom successful two-stage reconstruction was performed via negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps. Two patients underwent CABG using bilateral internal thoracic arteries, after which they had surgical site infection (SSI). The intractable wound did not heal with irrigation and NPWT. Then, sternal osteomyelitis was observed via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), so we planned two-stage reconstruction. The first stage of treatment consisted of complete debridement (including removal of sternal wires and necrosectomy of soft tissue and sequestrum) and application of NPWT until the remission of inflammation. The second stage consisted of wound closure with pectoralis major myocutaneous advancement flaps. After wound closure, the two patients were given 2 months of oral antibiotics, and the postoperative results were good. Two-stage reconstruction with NPWT and pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps results in excellent clinical outcome. In the first stage, the key to the successful management of postoperative sternal osteomyelitis is infection control. This includes surgical debridement and wound-bed preparation with NPWT. The pectoralis major myocutaneous flap technique is brief and does not require a second cutaneous incision or an intact internal thoracic artery. In conclusion, the pectoralis major myocutaneous flap is a useful option in two-stage reconstruction after CABG.

Sternal tuberculous osteomyelitis presenting as a pulsatile swelling.

Primary sternal tuberculous osteomyelitis is a rare form of tuberculous osteomyelitis. We report a case of a young adult with primary tuberculous osteomyelitis of the sternum who presented with a pulsatile anterior chest wall swelling. Computed Tomography of the thorax revealed a hypodense lytic lesion in the body of the sternum that had eroded into the anterior mediastinum where it lay in close contact with the right ventricle, resulting in the clinically evident transmitted pulsations. Among the protean manifestations of tuberculosis this case illustrates a unique presentation as a pulsatile chest wall mass.

Primary sternal osteomyelitis caused by Nocardia nova: case report and literature review

A 51 year old woman without significant past medical history or risk factors for Nocardia infection developed primary Nocardia nova sternal osteomyelitis with mediastinal abscess, diagnosed with open biopsy. She required prolonged antibiotic therapy and had a favorable outcome. Primary sternal osteomyelitis develops in the absence of a contiguous focus of infection, as opposed to secondary sternal osteomyelitis, which is usually a complication of sternotomy. Staphylococcus aureus probably still is the most common cause of both forms of sternal osteomyelitis. Nocardia species invade humans usually through the respiratory tract and can cause a variety of localized infections through the hematogenous route. Pulmonary involvement may or may not coexist. Immunosuppressed patients are more prone to infection by Nocardia species, although cases involving seemingly immunocompetent patients are not rare. This is the first reported case in the English literature of primary sternal osteomyelitis due to Nocardia nova or any other Nocardia species.