High-pressure suction drainage via a polyurethane foam in the management of poststernotomy mediastinitis

Background. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of suction drainage in the management of early poststernotomy mediastinitis. Methods. From September 1998 to August 1999, we encountered nine cases of poststernotomy mediastinitis out of 1,209 adult median sternotomies performed in this time period. All these cases were treated with suction drainage, which was recently introduced to our management protocol. From September 1997 to August 1998, we encountered 11 cases of poststernotomy mediastinitis of 1,343 adult median sternotomies. All these cases were initially treated by closed drainage and irrigation, which was our previous first-line management. We used the latter group as historical controls for the evaluation of suction drainage. Lengths of hospitalization were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test, and success versus failure of the primary treatment was compared using the χ2 test. Results. Treatment with the suction dressing resulted in a decreased length of hospitalization after treatment starts (p = 0.02) and a lower rate of treatment failure (p = 0.03). Conclusions. The use of high-pressure suction drainage is a valuable adjunct in the early management of poststernotomy mediastinitis.