Sternal Wound Infection in Open heart Surgery

a review

The lecture duration is 22min.

0.5 CPD Points, 0.5 CEUs, 0.5 CME credits approval pending.
Accredited by CPDUK, CBRN and Provider Pending.

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Elena Conoscenti
Infection Control Nurse Ismett, Palermo, Italy
Lecture Summary

Sternal Wound Infections (SWI) are one of the major complication post-surgical interventions that have a negative effect on LOS, health costs morbidity and mortality. This is why it’s important that an early active surveillance program is put in place in all cardiothoracic surgical units. A task force must analyze cause of infections and put forth all the guidelines and recommendation on the prevention of SWI as well as having a clear knowledge on how to classify infections according to the CDC definitions .Our hospital experience has shown that standardization of processes is of fundamental importance, that active surveillance plays a key role in monitoring implemented measures and promote changes as well as keeping staff attention high. A multimodal and multidisciplinary approach is highly recommended.

Target Audience

Critical Care Nurses
Advanced Nurse Practitioners

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to:

  • Define Sternal wound infection according to CDC of Atlanta definition
  • Appreciate the importance of active surveillance and benchmarking
  • Describe root cause analysis of SWI prior to any implemented measures

None.