The Characteristics of Postoperative Mediastinitis During the Changing Phases of Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Mediastinitis is a serious complication of open heart surgery associated with high mortality, considerable health care costs, and prolonged hospital stay. We examined characteristics and incidence of mediastinitis during 29 years when indications and patient material have been in a process of change.

Methods: This was a retrospective population-based study comprising all mediastinitis patients more than 16 years of age after open heart surgery between 1990 and 2018 from a population of 1.