RESUMEN
Mupirocin applied to the anterior nares four times daily usually eliminates Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin resistant, within 48 hours. Prophylactic intranasal mupirocin is safe, inexpensive and effective in reducing the overall sternal wound infection after open-heart surgery. This study was designed to determine whether decreasing nasal bacterial colonization by applying mupirocin intra nasally decreases mediastinal, sternal, pulmonary and cutaneous infections after open-heart surgery. After institutional approval and informed consent, 392 patients were included in a randomized, prospective study. Nasal cultures were taken for all patients before surgery. Patients were divided in two groups: Group I [n=190] receiving mupirocin in the anterior nares 4 times daily for 48 hours before surgery; Group II [n=202] was the control group. Patients were followed for a month after surgery. All mediastinal, sternal, pulmonary and cutaneous infections were documented and treated with appropriate antibiotics. A Student test for quantitative data and a X [2] test for qualitative data were used for statistical analysis. p