Tie-Over Bolster Pressure Dressing Improves Outcomes of Skin Substitutes Xenografts on Athymic Mice.

The efficacy of skin substitutes is established for the treatment of burn injuries, but its use is not limited to this condition. This technology has the potential to improve the treatment of various conditions by offering highly advanced and personalized treatments. In vivo studies are challenging but essential to move to clinical use in humans.

Impact of deep sternal wound infection management with vacuum-assisted closure therapy followed by sternal osteosynthesis: a 15-year review of 23,499 sternotomies.

Objective: This study was undertaken to examine the outcome of patients with deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) now treated with vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy as a bridge to sternal osteosynthesis with horizontal titanium plate fixation.

Methods: From 1992 to 2007, a consecutive cohort of 23,499 patients underwent open-heart surgery (OHS) in our institution. The period under study was divided in two according to the use of therapeutic modalities: conventional (1992-2001, N=118 DSWI): debridement/drainage with primary closure and irrigation (N=37), debridement/drainage, open packing followed by pectoralis myocutaneous flaps (PMFs) (N=81); contemporary (2002-2007, N=149 DSWI): conventional treatment (N=24) and VAC therapy (N=125/83.

Recurrent sternal infection following treatment with negative pressure wound therapy and titanium transverse plate fixation.

Objective: To provide a definition for recurrent sternal infection (RSI), analyse the risk factors and describe the management of this complication following treatment of deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) with horizontal titanium sternal osteosynthesis and coverage with pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps.

Methods: Between 2002 and 2007, 10665 patients were submitted to open-heart surgery (OHS) in our institution, of whom 149 (1.4%) developed a DSWI.