Cardiac surgery dilemmas: evaluating outcomes of sternotomy versus thoracotomy

Authors

MUHAMMET FETHİ SAĞLAMFollow
EMRAH UGUZFollow
KEMAL EŞREF ERDOGANFollow
HÜSEYİN ÜNSAL ERÇELİKFollow
MURAT YÜCELFollow
METE HIDIROGLUFollow
EROL ŞENERFollow

Abstract

Background/aim: This retrospective study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes, including reoperation rates, mortality, and valve size measurements, in patients undergoing sternotomy and thoracotomy for cardiac surgery, particularly focusing on tricuspid valve replacements. The study sought to highlight differences in surgical approaches and their impact on patient outcomes.

Materials and methods: A total of 107 patients were included, with 82 undergoing sternotomy and 25 undergoing thoracotomy. Preoperative right ventricular function parameters (mean pulmonary artery pressure, tissue Doppler imaging, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion), valve sizes, and other clinical data were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed to assess differences in outcomes between the two surgical groups.

Results: Reoperation rates were significantly higher in the sternotomy group than in the thoracotomy group. Additionally, there were notable differences in valve sizes between the groups, with larger valves being used in sternotomy cases. However, mortality rates did not differ significantly between the groups.

Conclusion: This study suggests that while sternotomy may lead to higher reoperation rates, the two surgical approaches yield comparable mortality outcomes. Further prospective studies are needed to fully understand the long-term implications of these findings.

Author ORCID Identifier

MUHAMMET', 'MUMAHMMET SAĞLAM', 'SAGLAM: 0000-0003-0744-0001

EMRAH UGUZ', 'UĞUZ: 0000-0002-2758-7644

KEMAL ERDOGAN', 'ERDOĞAN: 0000-0002-2684-7256

HÜSEYİN ERÇELİK: 0000-0001-5253-2525

MURAT YÜCEL: 0000-0002-9182-0690

METE HIDIROGLU', 'HIDIROĞLU: 0000-0001-7235-9432

EROL ŞENER: 0000-0002-8295-7249

DOI

10.55730/1300-0144.5992

Keywords

cardiac surgery, Sternotomy, thoracotomy, tricuspid valve replacement

First Page

482

Last Page

487

Publisher

Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

SAĞLAM, MUHAMMET FETHİ; UGUZ, EMRAH; ERDOGAN, KEMAL EŞREF; ERÇELİK, HÜSEYİN ÜNSAL; YÜCEL, MURAT; HIDIROGLU, METE; and ŞENER, EROL (2025) "Cardiac surgery dilemmas: evaluating outcomes of sternotomy versus thoracotomy," Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences: Vol. 55: No. 2, Article 16. https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-0144.5992
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/medical/vol55/iss2/16