Wire Cerclage Versus Rigid Plate Fixation: A Retrospective Cohort Study and Cost-Benefit Analysis on Method of Sternotomy Closure After Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Despite increasing evidence demonstrating the merits of rigid plate fixation over wire cerclage for sternotomy closure, wire cerclage remains the predominant standard of care, largely because of the substantial cost of plating systems and the perceived lack of difference to outcomes.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the incidence of sternal complications between patients receiving rigid plate fixation vs wire cerclage and thereby assess the cost vs benefit of said sternal closure methods.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on patients who underwent open cardiac surgery at a single Australian tertiary centre between January 2019 and January 2023.

Effects of red blood cell transfusion on patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Queensland - a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusion is a relatively safe and mainstay treatment commonly used in cardiac surgical patients. However, there is limited evidence on clinical effects of transfusing blood nearing end-of shelf life that has undergone biochemical changes during storage.

Objective: To investigate evidence of associations between morbidity/mortality and transfusion of blood near end of shelf-life (> 35 days) in cardiac surgical patients.