Study of Type and Antimicrobial Resistance in Sternal Wound Infection Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background: Sternal ulcer infections have a great importance and complexity following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Although this kind of infection has a low prevalence but the complications are severe. The purpose of this study was to determine the type of microorganism and antibacterial resistance in sternal wound infections following CABG surgery in Shahid Chamran hospital in Isfahan, Iran, from 2009 to 2012. Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study, 275 cases of CABG operation were entered. Sternal wound secretion samples of suspected patients were cultured and the type of the causative bacteria were determined. Also, antibiogram test was done on the grown strains and antibacterial resistance patterns were determined. Findings: Of 275 CABG surgeries, 13 cultured sternal wound samples showed positive bacterial colonization. The types of bacterial samples were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas in four, four, three and two cases, respectively. The mean age of patients with and without sternal ulcer infection had no specific differences (P = 0.43). The differences of sex distribution between the case and control group was not statistically significant (P = 0.31), but having diabetes was significantly different between the groups (P < 0.01). Aortic clamping time and body mass index (BMI) showed no significant differences between the groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The incidence of sternal infection in patients undergone CABG surgery in this study was moderate compared to other studies; this is influenced by several factors including host, staff relating, environmental and medical equipments factors. Therefore, it is necessary to implement preventive measures at the time of hospitalization and provide appropriate educational programs and preventive methods for staff, patients and their families.