Comparison of two different techniques to close the sternum following cardiac surgery

Current standard practice at The Alfred Hospital involves closing the sternum following cardiac surgery with stainless steel wires. Alternative sternal closing techniques also exist, however to date closure of the sternum using stainless steel wires remains the standard technique because of its low cost. The cable tie method of sternal closure however is a widely used sternal closure technique that is used as a standard method by many surgeons in Australia and around the world, as this method potentially provides better stability of the sternum and less postoperative sternal pain. The aim of this research is to compare the outcomes in patients who have their sternum closed either with the Zipfix cable ties or stainless steel wires. The researchers will investigate whether patients who have their sternum closed with Zipfix cable ties experience less pain compared to patients that have their sternum closed with stainless steel wires. They will also determine whether patients who have their sternum closed with the cable ties have reduced sternal mobility in the early postoperative period. We hypothesize that use of the zipfix system for sternal closure after cardiac surgery improves sternal stability and reduces post operative pain, compared to conventional stainless steel wires.