Cost and clinical effectiveness of aggressive surgical debridement and delayed primary closure of infected cardiac surgical wounds.

Objective: Postoperative wound infection in cardiac surgery remains a subject of significant concern due to associated morbidity, prolonged hospital stay and rise in treatment cost. A conservative management approach to postoperative wound infection with topical dressings and healing by secondary intention is not cost-effective and cosmetic results are less acceptable. We developed our institutional protocol for the treatment of infected postoperative cardiac surgical wounds to reduce hospital stay and improve cosmetic outcome.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults: experience from the Middle East.

Background: The literature reports conflicting results for survival after extracorporeal membrane oxygenator support, and survival differs in pediatric and adult patients. We present our institutional experience of adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenator support.

Methods: From January 2007 to December 2009, 19 adult patients required extracorporeal membrane oxygenator support after cardiac surgery or catheter interventions.