Mediastinitis primary prevention

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Anthony Gallo, B.S. [2]

Overview

Effective measures for the primary prevention of mediastinitis include nasal decolonization, hand hygiene, and antibiotic prophylaxis.

Primary Prevention

Prior to sternotomy, the following primary prevention techniques may aid in the primary prevention of mediastinitis:^[1]^[2]

Nasal decolonization
Hand hygiene
Antibiotic prophylaxis
Pre-operative hair removal
Surgical skin antisepsis
Proper cleaning and drying of surgical site
Not using creams, lotions, or ointments near surgical site without physician permission
Wearing a support bra for large breasted female/obese male patients
Restrict lifting movements

References

↑ Mediastinitis: a potentially lethal infection. Thoracic Surgery – Thoracics.org (2012). http://thoracics.org/2012/03/03/mediastinitis-noncardiac-surgery/ Accessed on October 2, 2015
↑ Guide for the Prevention of Mediastinitis Surgical Site Infection Following Cardiac Surgery. APIC (2008). http://apic.org/Resource_/EliminationGuideForm/a994706c-8e6c-4807-b89a-6a7e6fb863dd/File/APIC-Mediastinitis-Elimination-Guide.pdf Accessed on October 2, 2015

Overview