HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schroeyers, P. Articles by Vanermen, H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Schroeyers, P. Articles by Vanermen, H. Related Collections Cardiac - other Great vessels

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2002;21:767
© 2002 Elsevier Science NL

Letter to the Editor

Reply to Totaro et al. and Szerafin et al.

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, OLV Hospital, Moorselbaan 164, Aalst B-9300, Belgium

Received 14 January 2002; accepted 15 January 2002.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +32-53-72-45-99; fax: +32-53-72-45-52
e-mail: francis.wellens{at}olvz-aalst.be

The comments of Totaro et al. [2] and Szerafin et al. [3] are extremely valuable and demonstrate the evolution to a more uniform treatment for poststernotomy mediastinitis. Recognizing the subgroups as described by both authors followed by a well defined surgical strategy will offer the best results for this difficult problem. In view of our published results [1] we also changed to a two stage procedure in unstable patients. Initially open wound dressing will be performed in those patients, followed by closure with omentum and/or muscle flap in a second stage. The time frame between the two procedures is determined by the local aspect of the wound and the general status of the patient.

References

1. Schroeyers P., Wellens F., Degrieck I., Degeest R., Van Praet F., Vermeulen Y., Vanermen H. Agressive primary treatment for poststernotomy acute mediastinitis our experience with omental and muscle flaps surgery. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2001;20:743-746.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Totaro P, Borghetti V, Lanzi S, Minszioni G. Primary omental flap surgery for post-sternotomy acute mediastinitis. Eur J Cardio-thorac Surg 2002;21(4):765.
3. Szerafin T, Jaber O, Péterffy A. Technical refinements of omentopexy and pectoralis myoplasty for poststernotomy mediastinitis. Eur J Cardio-thorac Surg 2002;21(4):766.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Z. H. Dong, W. G. Fu, Y. Q. Wang, D. Q. Guo, X. Xu, Y. Ji, B. Chen, J. H. Jiang, J. Yang, Z. Y. Shi, et al. Retrograde Type A Aortic Dissection After Endovascular Stent Graft Placement for Treatment of Type B Dissection Circulation, February 10, 2009; 119(5): 735 - 741. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. P. Urbanski, A. Siebel, M. Zacher, and R. W. Hacker Is extended aortic replacement in acute type A dissection justifiable? Ann. Thorac. Surg., February 1, 2003; 75(2): 525 - 529. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Totaro, F. Miraldi, A.G.M. Marullo, and G. Mazzesi Reply to Urbanski Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., April 1, 2002; 21(4): 768 - 769. [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schroeyers, P. Articles by Vanermen, H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Schroeyers, P. Articles by Vanermen, H. Related Collections Cardiac - other Great vessels