sternum suture working its way out post op 2yrs???

39 y.o. female post op 2years mitral valve replacement w pig valve
100% recovered 0 medications
symtoms (symptoms):  x5 months: tender buldging flexible mashable loop feeling object mid incision site.  no fever no redness no discharge no broken skin but it is pressing firmly as if it is trying to come through skin. the skin is starting to get darker in the one little bulgding area and is not a wire.
I went to a heart surgeon and he said it feels like a catheter or a stent, not a wire...too mashable for a wire and to big to be a suture... he was a military surgeon and said they could not cut me open to see, he said if he cut it or pulled it and I started bleeding, they did not have the equipment to do open heart there in case I started bleeding internally.
I have been looking on line to see what it could possibly be... any idea? should i just ignore it till it works its way out?


This discussion is related to Chest Pain at the Incision Site 3 yrs after ByPass.

[kenkeith]

You should get a computer tomographic scan to determine the underlying cause.  Was there sternum separation for the valve replacement?  Catheter or stent sounds somewhat foreboding and should require an investigation!