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. 2019 Jan 1;27(1):15-22.
doi: 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2019.15659. eCollection 2019 Jan.

Does using Jackson-Pratt drain affect the incidence of sternal wound complications after open cardiac surgery?

Affiliations

Does using Jackson-Pratt drain affect the incidence of sternal wound complications after open cardiac surgery?

Salih Salihi et al. Turk Gogus Kalp Damar Cerrahisi Derg. .

Abstract

Background: TThis study aims to investigate the effect of the Jackson-Pratt drain on sternal wound complications in patients with a Body Mass Index of ≥30 kg/m2 undergoing open cardiac surgery via median sternotomy.

Methods: A total of 174 patients (124 males, 50 females; mean age 58.2±10.4 years; range, 33 to 78 years) with a Body Mass Index of ≥30 kg/m2 undergoing cardiac surgery via median sternotomy between January 2011 and December 2015 in our institution were retrospectively analyzed. Of the patients, 94 were inserted a Jackson-Pratt drain (JP group) following median sternotomy, while 80 patients received no drain (non-JP group). Pre-, intra, and postoperative outcomes of both groups including type of operation, length of hospital stay, and complications were compared.

Results: No significant difference in the age, gender, Body Mass Index, and potential risk factors was found between the groups. The median of stay in the intensive care unit was two days and the median time from operation to discharge was seven days in both groups. There was a statistically significant difference in the rate of sternal wound complications between the groups. Sternal wound complications occurred in two patients (2.1%) in the drained group, compared to nine patients (11.25%) in the non-drained group (p=0.01).

Conclusion: Our study results show that Jackson-Pratt drain insertion after median sternotomy in patients with a Body Mass Index of ≥30 kg/m2 undergoing open cardiac surgery is a simple and reliable method to reduce the risk of postoperative sternal wound complications, compared to the conventional closure technique.

Keywords: Jackson-Pratt drain; median sternotomy; sternal wound complications.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. (a) An incision was made for the insertion of the drain, then, (b) the perforated part of the drain was inserted in a suprasternal fashion. (c) Finally, the drain was fixed and (d) the incisions were closed.

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