Silverborn, Per MartinHeitmann, Leon ArnarSveinsdóttir, NannaRögnvaldsson, SigurjonKristjánsson, Tómas ÞórGuðbjartsson, Tómas2025-11-202025-11-202022-10-03Silverborn, P M, Heitmann, L A, Sveinsdóttir, N, Rögnvaldsson, S, Kristjánsson, T Þ & Guðbjartsson, T 2022, 'Non-infectious sternal dehiscence after coronary artery bypass surgery', Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, vol. 17, no. 1, 249, pp. 249. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-022-02015-11749-809062214480bba49c9f-4528-4f35-9587-e23c56d309258513917503436192764unpaywall: 10.1186/s13019-022-02015-1https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/6800Funding Information: This study was funded by the University of Iceland Research Fund, Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund, and the Memorial Fund of Helga Jonsdottir & Sigurlidi Kristjansson. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s). © 2022. The Author(s).Introduction: Non-infectious sternal dehiscence (NISD) is a known complication following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), with previous studies estimating an incidence of 0.4–1% of surgeries. We aimed to study the incidence of NISD together with short- and long-term outcomes in a whole-nation cohort of patients. Materials and methods: A retrospective study on consecutive CABG patients diagnosed with NISD at Landspitali from 2001 to 2020. Patients diagnosed with infectious mediastinitis (n = 20) were excluded. NISD patients were compared to patients with an intact sternum regarding patient demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, intra- and postoperative data, and estimated overall survival. The median follow-up was 9.5 years. Results: Twenty out of 2280 eligible patients (0.88%) developed NISD, and the incidence did not change over the study period (p = 0.98). The median time of diagnosis was 12 days postoperatively (range, 4–240). All patients were re-operated using a Robicsek-rewiring technique, with two cases requiring a titanium plate for fixation. Patients with NISD were older, had a higher BMI and EuroSCORE II, lower LVEF, and more often had a history of COPD, MI, and diabetes compared to those without NISD. Length of stay was extended by 15 days for NISD patients, but short and long-term survival was not statistically different between the groups. Conclusions: The incidence of NISD was low and in line with previous studies. Although the length of hospital stay was extended, both short- and long-term survival of NISD patients was not significantly different from patients with an intact sternum.1007827249eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessCoronary Artery Bypass/adverse effectsHumansMediastinitis/epidemiologyRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsSternum/surgeryTitaniumCardiology and Cardiovascular MedicinePulmonary and Respiratory MedicineSurgerySDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being/dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/researchoutputtypes/contributiontojournal/article10.1186/s13019-022-02015-1