Post-traumatic sternal wound infection in a resource-constrained tertiary hospital: case report

Abstract

Sternal wound infections are mostly a result of complications of coronary artery bypass graft, post-trauma sternotomy, penetrating chest trauma and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In South Africa the majority of rural hospitals are resource-constrained , and tertiary services and academic centres are overloaded with patients. The planning and execution of difficult cases may require a combination of ‘simpler’ techniques as shown in this case report. The authors’ approach for the surgical and reconstructive management of post-traumatic deep sternal wound infection was achieved with a combination of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and a split thickness skin graft (STSG), a deviation from the usual recommendations for management.