[Titanium transverse plate fixation system after sternum dehiscence in cardiac surgery]

Steel wire sternum fixation in patients who underwent median sternotomy for cardiac surgery, is a routine procedure in our clinical practice. Sternal dehiscence either associated or not to surgical wound infection, though with low incidence, carries high morbidity, mortality and economic costs that make the research for alternative techniques a fundamental task. A new titanium transverse plate fixation system seems to be an excellent and safe alternative, that can be performed by cardiac surgeons to reconstruct the sternum in case of dehiscence. We report the surgical technique and our experience with this new treatment.