• Kushal Madan, Vishwa Prakash Gupta, Rajvir Singh, Sachin Talwar, Shiv Kumar Choudhary, Balram Airan, and A Sampath Kumar.
• Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
• Indian J Med Res. 2006 Jul 1;124(1):57-62.

Background And ObjectivesStable sternal approximation is an important factor to avoid respiratory complications after open heart surgery. The present study is designed to compare interlocking sternotomy and straight sternotomy in terms of sternal stability, pain and respiratory function.MethodsSixty patients scheduled for open heart surgery underwent a standard midline sternotomy (n=30) or an interlocking sternotomy (n=30). The features assessed were pain on visual analogue scale during rest and during cough, peak expiratory flow rate and sternal instability. Evaluation was performed on the first, fourth post-operative days, on discharge and one month and three month follow up.ResultsAnalysis of the peak expiratory flow rates, visual analogue ratings of pain intensity at rest and on coughing were carried out for each group only for those patients who completed the study. Postoperatively, in all patients there was significant reduction in peak expiratory flow rates. In the straight sternotomy group resting pain intensity was higher on discharge (2.6+/- 2 vs 1.6 +/- 2.3, P= 0.005). In the interlocking sternotomy group pain on coughing was significantly less than straight sternotomy group (median 0.5 vs 2.8, P=0.005) at 1 month follow up and at 3 months (median 0 vs 1.6, P=0.003).Interpretation And ConclusionInterlocking sternotomy can be performed with good functional results and offers a less painful alternative to straight sternotomy.

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