Bone cement is a suitable treatment for sternal reconstruction in patients with recurrent sternal wound infections

Sternal wound infection (SWI) is a common complication of cardiovascular operations performed by median sternotomy, with an incidence rate of about 0.5–8% (1-4). As a challenging problem, it often prolongs hospital stay and increases medical cost. The infection can affect vital mediastinal organs, and improper treatment may lead to the death of patients. Currently, SWI is mainly treated by debridement and reasonable wound healing, which includes wire re-fixation, vacuum sealing drainage (VSD), and tissue flap transplantation (5). However, there is no widely recognized treatment for recurrent SWI accompanied by sternal defect after failed tissue flap transplantation