[Experience with osteosynthesis of the sternum after heart surgery in patients with limited physical abilities].

At the Department of Heart Surgery of the A. V. Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery in seven patients with limited physical abilities and having to ambulate on crutches for osteosynthesis of the sternum after cardiosurgical interventions we used Ti-Ni fixating cramps with self-regulating compression. This technique provided reliable fixation of the sternum even in the early postoperative period in patients with elevated loading on the shoulder gridle. On day 2-3 after the surgical intervention all patients began to observe the standard motor regimen, i.e., ambulation on crutches. The possibility of early activation in the initially severe cohort of patients with multifocal atherosclerosis and accompanying diseases was one of the factors of an uneventful course of the postoperative period and rapid rehabilitation. Neither sternal instability nor infectious complications during the in-hospital period were observed.