What is the median sternotomy?
Medium sternotomy is the way surgeons gain access to heart or lungs. It involves creating a cut in the chest and then the split of the breast bone or thoracic bone so that the heart structures can be fully visible. After the surgery is complete, the bone is connected together to support healing and the cut is closed. Many patients recover well from median sternotomy, but sometimes they are the result of complications and scarring is always the result. Occasionally, access to the heart can be achieved by other means. It is not necessarily an open -heart operation, which is better defined as any procedure where the heart is entering a pericardium or an outer protective layer. Instead, the median sternotomy means that the patient has open chest procedures that may include an open heart surgery. Some operations that might require sternomes include repairs of congenital defects, bypass procedures or heart or lung transplantation.
Although it may vary slightly, a typical cut for the median sternotomy begins directly above Stern. This is just below the base of the neck. The cut has a length of about 8-10 inches (20.32–25.4 centimeters), giving enough space to use sternal saw to open breasts or thoracic bones. During the surgery, the special spreaders maintain two half of the breast bone and tissue and muscles above it so that the heart or lungs remain accessible.
After completing any repairs, surgeons must close medium sternotomy in a way that best supports healing. Two halves of the chest are connected and carefully connected to recharge the bone properly. Adhesives and stitches can be used to reconnect to muscle and skin tissue.
When patients first recover, the area where sternotomy has been performed may be painful. It may feel particularly uncomfortable to raise the arms over their heads for several weeks. Most people eventually experience the ÚPlinen recovery with the expected scarring down in the middle of the chest.
Complications of the median sternotomy is an infection in the bone or surgical wound. The presence of significant infection could lead to the second median sternotomy to eliminate infectious tissue, or some individuals adequately respond to an antibiotic. A small percentage of patients may develop chronic pain above the stern. In several cases, it is released alternately and must be removed.
Cardiotory surgeons have developed alternatives to median sternotomy, which may be suitable for certain repairs. Minimally invasive surgery can use a shorter chest cut, about half the length of full sternotomy. Another alternative is to get Access to the heart of two ribs, which minimizes scarring. This is not always the best choice and sternotomy is often a preferred method because it provides surgeons for more space for fine repairs.