Median sternotomy

Sternotomy is considered to be the gold standard incision in cardiac surgery, resulting in low failure rates and excellent proven long-term outcomes. It can also be used in thoracic surgery for mediastinal, bilateral pulmonary or lower trachea and main stem bronchus surgery. Sternotomy has to be performed properly to avoid short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. The surgical technique is well established and certain principles are recognized to be crucial to minimize complications. The identification of the correct landmarks, midline tissue preparation, osteotomy with the avoidance of injury to underlying structures like pleura, pericardium, innominate vein, brachiocephalic artery and ectatic ascending aorta, and targeted bleeding control are important steps of the procedure. As important as the performance of a proper sternotomy is a correct sternal closure. An override or shift of the sternal edges has to be avoided by placing the wires at a proper distance from each other without injuring the thoracic pedicle. The two sternal halves have to be tightly re-approximated to facilitate healing of the bone and to avoid instability, which is a risk factor for wound infection. With a proper performance of sternotomy and sternal closure, instability and wound infections are rare and depend on patient-related risk factors.