A clinical trial to investigate the effect of silver nylon dressings on mediastinitis rates in postoperative cardiac sternotomy incisions

Mediastinitis is a rare but serious postoperative complication of cardiac surgery that increases mortality rates, hospital length of stay, and medical costs. A clinical trial was conducted to investigate whether the type of postoperative surgical dressing (silver nylon or standard gauze) affects the rate of mediastinal infections. The sample consisted of 1,600 surgical cardiac patients. Infection rates in the standard gauze group (control, n = 1,235) were collected retrospectively from 24 months of infection control records. In the prospective treatment arm of the study, the wounds of all consecutive surgical patients (n = 365) were covered with a silver nylon dressing and patients were assessed during the 3-week postoperative visit. Thirteen (13) patients in the control group (1%) and none of the patients in the treatment group developed mediastinitis (chi2 [1, N = 1,600] = 3.88, P <0.05). Study findings support the need for a large, prospective, controlled clinical study to confirm the effects of these dressings on mediastinitis, resultant morbidity, and costs of care.