Sternal Pin Used to Close Sternum in Infants after Cardiac Surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
• Thoracic Reconstruction
• Biomaterials in Medicine

Background:

• Sternal closure is critical after infant cardiac surgery.
• Traditional methods like steel wire can lead to thoracic deformities.
• Novel techniques are needed to improve sternal stability and aesthetic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of bioabsorbable poly-L-lactic acid sternal pins for sternal closure in infants undergoing cardiac surgery.
• To compare the incidence of thoracic deformity and sternal instability between different closure methods.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study of 170 infants undergoing cardiac surgery.
• Patients were divided into three groups: steel wire, PDS cord, and steel wire + sternal pin.
• Thoracic deformity assessed using vertebral index (VI), frontosagittal index (FSI), and Haller index (HI); sternal stability evaluated by dehiscence and displacement.

Main Results:

• The steel wire + sternal pin group showed significantly lower differences in VI and HI compared to the PDS cord group.
• This combined group exhibited reduced deformation rates and lower incidence of sternal displacement compared to steel wire and PDS cord groups.
• No sternal dehiscence or complete sternal healing observed in any group at 1-year follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Combining steel wire with bioabsorbable sternal pins enhances sternal closure in infants post-cardiac surgery.
• This approach effectively reduces sternal deformity and displacement, improving overall sternal stability.
• Bioabsorbable sternal pins offer a promising alternative for optimizing surgical outcomes in pediatric cardiac patients.