Chronic sternum wound infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis after cardiac surgery

Abstract

The sternum wound infection, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis after a cardiac surgery, is an extremely rare postoperative complication. It requires a high degree of suspicion for a correct diagnosis. Often a successful treatment is impeded by the insidious nature of tuberculosis infection and the time-consuming diagnosis process. We report two cases in which we successfully treated this infection with sternum resection, wound debridement, and antituberculosis medication.