The Median Sternotomy: The Unkindest Cut of All? Pearls, Pitfalls, Aphorisms, & Myths

Abstract

While some have claimed that a median sternotomy is an ‘unkind cut,’ when this incision is performed, closed, and managed optimally, it can be one of the ‘most kind cuts’ used for major operations. The median sternotomy is the most commonly used incision for coronary artery bypass surgery, which is the most common operation performed in the United States at the current time. This approach is, of course, used for many other cardiac and thoracic operations, as well. It is, however, also one of the most misunderstood procedures in Surgery. Because it is an incision that even a novice surgical resident can perform, with proper supervision, the subtleties and nuances of not only opening but also of closing sternotomies are not often conveyed optimally to our trainees. In this treatise we will attempt to comprehensively address these subtleties, nuances, and misunderstandings, both for the benefit of our younger learners, but also, and more importantly, for the benefit of our patients.