The negative pressure wound therapy for prevention of sternal wound infection: Can we reduce infection rate after the use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is traditionally used to treat postoperative wound infections. However, its use in closed wound sternotomy post cardiac surgery in high-risk patients has become increasingly popular. The potential preventive benefit of reducing sternal wound infections has been recently acknowledged. Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafts are used in coronary artery bypass grafting but have been associated with an increased risk of sternal wound infections (SWIs). OBJECTIVES: This systematic analysis examines whether NPWT can reduce the incidence of SWI following BIMA grafts, leading to more patients benefiting from the better survival outcome associated with BIMA grafting. METHOD: A comprehensive systematic search and meta-analysis were performed to identify studies on the use of NPWT in closed wound sternotomy. Ovid MEDLINE (in-process and other nonindexed citations and Ovid MEDLINE 1990 to present), Ovid EMBASE (1990 to present), and The Cochrane Library (Wiley), PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched from their inception to May 2022 using keywords and MeSH terms. Thirty-four articles from 1991 to May 2022 were selected. RESULT: Three studies reported on the outcome of NPWT following BIMA grafting. The pooled analysis did not show any significant difference in the incidence of sternal wound infection between NPWT and standard dressing (RR 0.48 95% CI 0.17-1.37; P = 0.17) with substantial heterogeneity (I2 65%). Another seven studies were found comparing the outcome of SWI incidence of negative pressure closed wound therapy with conventional wound therapy in patients undergoing adult cardiac surgery. The pooled analysis showed that NPWT was associated with a low risk of SWIs compared to conventional dressing (RR 0.47 95% CI 0.36-0.59; P < 0.00001), with low heterogeneity (I2 1%). CONCLUSION: The literature identified that NPWT significantly decreased the incidence of sternal wound complications when applied to sutured sternotomy incisions in high-risk patients, and in some cases, it eliminated the risk. However, the inadequate number of randomized controlled trials assessing the effectiveness of NPWT in BIMA grafting emphasizes the need for further, robust studies.

A Propensity Score Analysis of Early and Long-Term Outcomes of Retrograde Arterial Perfusion for Endoscopic and Minimally Invasive Heart Valve Surgery in Both Young and Elderly Patients.

(1) Background: Minimal invasive cardiac surgery via right anterolateral thoracotomy for heart valve surgery and other intracardiac procedures proven to have lower postoperative complications. We aim to compare the neurological complications and post-operative outcomes in two cohort groups as well as survival rates up to 5 years postoperatively; (2) Methodology: Retrospective observational study for patients who had minimally invasive cardiac valve surgery with retrograde femoral arterial perfusion between 2007 and 2021 (n = 596) and the categorized patients into two groups based on their age (≥70 years old and below 70). Propensity match analysis was conducted. The primary endpoint consisted of major postoperative complications and the secondary endpoint was the long-term survival rate. (3) Results: There was no difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative outcomes. Patients ≥ 70 years old had no increased risk for neurological complications (p = 0.75) compared with those below 70 years old. The mortality rate was also not significant between the two groups (p = 0.37) as well as the crude survival rates. (4) Conclusions: The use of retrograde femoral arterial perfusion in elderly patients is not associated with increased risk compared to the younger patients' group for a spectrum of primary cardiac valve procedures. Hence, minimally invasive approaches could be offered to elderly patients who might benefit from it.