Pseudomonas sternotomy wound infection and sternal osteomyelitis. Complications after open heart surgery

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Abstract
P. aeruginosa sternotomy wound infections occurred in 5 patients who underwent open heart surgery. The initial isolate in each case was from a mediastinal chest tube routinely cultured on removal. Soft-tissue infection developed in 2 patients and sternal osteomyelitis developed in 3 patients. Pseudomonas-typing studies showed a correlation between 5 isolates from chest-tube suction pumps used postoperatively and the wound isolates. Analysis of antibiograms of Pseudomonas wound isolates from the cardiac surgery ward from 1975-1977 showed 8 of 15 with the same antibiogram as the sternotomy pathogens, compared with 2 of 13 isolates from other wards.