A Retrospective Multicenter Experience: Does Packing the Surgical Field Help to Stop Bleeding After Cardiac Surgery

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Surgical Complications

Background:

• Intractable bleeding is a significant complication following cardiac surgery.
• Conservative measures may not always effectively control postoperative bleeding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of chest packing in controlling severe postoperative bleeding after cardiac surgery.
• To assess the outcomes of patients undergoing chest re-exploration and packing.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 148 patients with severe postoperative bleeding across eight cardiac surgery centers in Egypt.
• All patients underwent chest re-exploration and chest packing to manage bleeding.

Main Results:

• The study included patients with a mean age of 62.7 years, with high rates of hypertension (74.3%) and diabetes (33.1%).
• Sepsis was observed in 20.9% of patients, and the mortality rate was 13.5% (20 deaths).

Conclusions:

• Chest re-exploration and packing are indicated when conservative treatments for intractable bleeding after cardiac surgery are insufficient.
• Chest packing serves as a crucial management strategy in specific scenarios of severe postoperative bleeding.