Abstract

Chronic extensive infection of the sternal wound may be a serious problem in patients undergoing sternotomy, especially those who have been operated for coronary artery bypass grafts. We report and evaluate the outcomes of five cases involved in chronic sternal osteomyelitis who were treated with two different strategies as follows: (1) debridement and secondary healing (conventional treatment), and (2) debridement and omental flap transfer for primary wound closure. All of the patients had acceptable results after treatment, but those who were managed by omental flap and primary wound closure had better cosmetic results and a shorter hospital stay.