DOI: 10.21276/sasjs.2018.4.12.4

Pages: 308-314

Open chest (OC) with subsequent delayed sternal closure (DSC) has been described as a theraputic option in the treatment of severely impaired heart including hemodynamic instability, marked myocardial edema, respiratory compromise, intractable bleeding, placement of assist devices, and persistent arrhythmias. In this review, we evaluate the investigations on the incidence, survival, and morbidity of open chest management (OCM) patients who subsequently required DSC. The Medline and Embase databases were searched in December 2018 using relevant key words, limited to human studies in the English language. Cohort studies of open chest management with delayed sternal closure were identified.