Sternal closure with absorbable pins and cords in general thoracic surgery.

After median sternotomy, the sternum is commonly closed using metal wires, which sometimes cause complications because they are permanent foreign bodies. As an alternative, we used a combination of absorbable sutures and pins for full median sternotomy in 24 adult general thoracic surgery patients. There were three cases of sternal dehiscence detectable by computed tomography, none of which required re-operation. Two of these patients had diabetes mellitus (DM) and the third patient was on corticosteroid therapy. In an appropriately selected patient population that excludes patients with DM or who are undergoing corticosteroid therapy, we have not observed any sternal complications. We concluded that our technique is clinically feasible with appropriate patient selection.