In order to evaluate the efficacy of mediastinitis treatment with continuous wound irrigation with PVP11 % solution, plus antibyotics and surgical treatment, and to analise the risk factors of this serious infection, we retrospectively studied 1113 patients submited to cardiac surgery, between. January 1993 and April 1995, at the Instituto do Coração do Hospital Madre Tereza, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Eleven risk factors to mediastinitis were analized: age, sex, weight, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, blood transfusion, lenght of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), use of internal thoracic artery graft, pleural drainaige and hospital stay prior to surgery. Eighteen (1.68%) patients developed mediastinitis in the postoperative period and were treated with surgical intervention, continuous irrigation with PVP 11 % solution and antibyotics, during an average of 8 days. The hospital stay for this group of patients was in average 37 days. The predominant microorganism found was S. aureus (72%). The mortality was 27% (5 patients) due to disseminated infection. The authors conclude that continuous wound irrigation with PVP 11 % solution was an ease procedure with low mortality rate. The present method is effective in the treatment of this serious post-operative complication.
Mediastinitis; Mediastinitis in heart surgery; Heart surgery; Mediastinitis