sternum non union

[gawney]

I had quadruple bypass in June 2006. sternum did not heal so i was sent to a plastic surgeon. he operated february 2007 and put four titanium plates in. sternum is still not healed. will it ever heal?


This discussion is related to Sternum pain after By-pass Surgery.

[Archibald S Miller III, MD,FACS]

I am Dr. Arch Miller and am on the reconstructive surgery forum. It may be that you have some osteoporosis, or the screws have failed. This is a problem with that method. There is another device called the talon which hugs the sternum and encourages healing along its entire length. Go to the web site rapidsternalclosure.com and you can see an animation of the device. We have been very successful in reconstructing problems such as yours. Unless the plates are removed, the bone edges cleaned and opened again the sternum will not heal. Dr. Scott Levin of Duke University, Dr. James Spann of Tulsa, Oklahoma and myself are familiar with this  and can help you or get you a referral to someone who can. I hope this helps you, respectfully,

                             arch s miller ms md facs