Vacuum-assisted closure vs. bilateral pectoralis major muscle flaps for deep sternal wounds infection

Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is a life-threatening complication after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the outcomes of reconstructing infected poststernotomy wounds with either vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) after previous debridement or bilateral pectoralis major muscle flaps (BPMMFs).

In total, 565 patients with postoperative DSWI were enrolled in this study from January 1, 2014, to June 1, 2018. Of these patients, 247 received BPMMFs. To address the indicated biases, a 1:1 propensity score-matched cohort was created based on age, body mass index, preoperative diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), internal thoracic artery grafting (ITAG), type of cardiac surgery, time before treatment for DSWI and wound classification. After matching, 132 patients who had similar risk profiles were enrolled in the study population (66 in the VAC group: 66 in the BPMMF group).

At 21.9±12.1 (median: 24, IQR: 14-28) months of follow-up, the survival rate was 93.9% in the BPMMF group and 74.4% in the VAC group (P<0.01). Compared with the VAC group, the BPMMF group had a significantly decreased length of hospital stay (P<0.01). At the spirometry assessment, the forced expiratory volume in the 1st second (FEV1), vital capacity (VC), and FEV1/VC ratio showed no significant differences in survival between the VAC group and BPMMF group.

In our study, compared with VAC therapy, BPMMFs guaranteed better early- and late-term outcomes, as shown by less length of hospital stay, a higher rate of long-term survival and unimpaired respiratory function.