Mediastinal irrigation with superoxidized water after open-heart surgery: the safety and pitfalls of cardiovascular surgical application.

Postoperative mediastinal infection after open-heart surgery via median sternotomy is a devastating complication. In this paper, we describe a simple method of irrigating the mediastinum using superoxidized water to prevent perioperative contamination. After mediastinal hemostasis was done, warm superoxidized water of more than 21 was uninterruptedly irrigated for 5 min immediately prior to sternal closure. We have used this method in 25 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and noted significant perioperative electrocardiographic changes, including ST elevation, without hemodynamic compromise in 15 of these patients.