Cardiac Surgery

No validated cardiac-surgery-specific score previously incorporated intraoperative and perioperative factors to reassess postoperative mortality risk. Cardiac surgery was selected as the study context because wound complications and infections are relatively common in this specialty and among the most expensive to treat. Overall 30-day mortality in the full cohort was 2.5%. Evidence drawn from 21 patients across six cardiothoracic centres showed very low rates of wound swab uptake in this patient population. Approximately one million patients undergo cardiac surgery annually in the United States and Europe. Postoperative prognosis after cardiac surgery is shaped by intraoperative and early postoperative events. Patients with diabetes, immunodeficiency, bone marrow disease, autoimmune conditions requiring immunosuppression or active cancer treatment are excluded from the study due to possible wound-healing concerns. Most procedures in the study cohort were elective operations. The intervention targets patients who have undergone cardiac surgery through median sternotomy, resulting in a central chest wound.