Sternum Wires

[BDMc]

The last wiring job I got, left me with lumps of twisted wire just under the skin. A couple broke when they were twisting them, and they had to twist extensions on to close me up. They protrude so far that anything bumping them is painful, even a tight hug from my Sweety! I'm seeing my surgeon on the 7th to see about getting the two out. Anybody have experience with this? Thanks, Brian

 

[bradvo]

That's just sloppy work. Sorry ya have to deal with this inconvenience.

 

[ottagal]

Bryan,

Sorry that you are dealing with this. I recall "Smiley" had her wires removed a while ago. You may want to PM her.

Will keep you in my prayers and good luck with this. I, too am supposed to have a sternal wire removed (was told it could be done under local:eek2: and as part of a day procedure.

 

[Greg a]

Bryan,

Sorry that you are dealing with this. I recall "Smiley" had her wires removed a while ago. You may want to PM her.

Will keep you in my prayers and good luck with this. I, too am supposed to have a sternal wire removed (was told it could be done under local:eek2: and as part of a day procedure.

I think she was speakinhg of another member per http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?24462-Having-a-Mitral-valve-replacement-op-31-March-2008&p=289046#post289046 but I too remember of at least two others that have had it done under a twighlight or local not sure but very small incision that healed quickly

Positive vibes Brian



,

 

[Greg a]

Chris/mainframe is another acorrding to this post http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?39405-Nooooo-My-incision-is-infected!&p=512406#post512406

 

[Cooker]

Hey Bro ... sorry you have this issue ... hope they can get them out soon so you can get back to tight hugging!!

 

[Bina]

Brian, this is such a bummer, but we have had several members here have some, or a few, wires removed.
Mine are pokey, but I am also very thin.

 

[BDMc]

Thanks for the replies gang! I hope it will be an outpatient procedure. I'm surprised the heart surgeon is seeing me. He has better things to do. I also think the CT scan they are making me have is a waste of time +$, but I assume ins. will cover it all. If there is no problem with warfarin levels it should be fairly simple. Though it may mean Lovenox shots which I hate.

 

[Jkm7]

IMO, the surgeon should see you.
It is his surgery that put those wires there and it should be for him to correct the issue.
Please let us know how it goes.
All best wishes.

 

[mainframe]

I've had 2 surgeries to remove wires. Two or three months after my 2nd OHS I had a small wound over the incision open that started slowly discharging some clear fluid. At the time the though was it was a wire that was causing this. I had surgery to remove the one wire 6 month after my 2nd OHS from a local general surgeon. This was a day surgery, home later in the afternoon. I bridged with Lovenonx. This left a pretty large wound to heal which eventually did but left a small divot in my chest and some scarring of the skin. It wasn't pretty. A couple of months later another small wound over the incision a bit below then opened up. My cardiologist was concerned a had a sternal infection and sent me to a local thoraic surgeon. He suggested he and a plastic surgeon would go in remove all wires, remove any infected tissue/bone and the plastic surgeon would most likely do a muscle flap and close. This happened Nov 2010. The infection turned out to be minimal and the muscle flap turned out that the plastic surgeon could just move my pec's inward a bit (to provide blood supply to the skin in the area) rather than severed at the shoulder (my fear). The surgery removed all my sternal wires as well as taking care of the wound/scarring from the first wire removal surgery. I was in the hospital 3 days and also bridged with Lovenox. I was very happy with the result at the time.

Unfortunately my story continues. I have had the skin open up 3 or 4 times the last year. It always heals over sooner or later but my doc's still worry about infection. I've seen a infectious disease doctor recently who found no infection. He wants the plastic surgeon from last year to open me up and see if there is a stich or something that could cause this to continue to occur and to provide some deeper tissue cultures for the infectious disease guy to look at. I'll probaly get a nice skin graft on my chest this time, something she (the plastic surgeon) managed to avoid last year. The fun continues.

Best of luck with your wires. My guess is they should be able to remove your 2 wires pretty easily in a day surgery. You probably will have to bridge with Lovenox. I've done that 3 or 4 times the last couple of years. Not really a big deal.

 

[Bryan B]

I had all of my sternal wires removed 6 months after my first surgery. I was fine until I started cardiac rehab and one day when using the "hand pedals" I started having a lot of pain that never went away. A MRI revealed nothing but I insisted that my surgeon take them out and he agreed. After he removed them he still didn't see anything wrong with the wires themselves but did notice that I had inflammation in the area around my sternum. I still don't know to this day if my body was rejecting the wires or what the cause was but as soon as they were removed I had instant relief (once the incision healed).

Since I had all of mine removed at once they did it under general anesthesia but it was a same day surgery and I went home a few hours after the surgery. I wasn't on Coumadin so that wasn't a factor for me. I had very little post op pain and was able to resume normal activities as soon as the incision healed.

I am currently having sternum pain again after my latest surgery (asked surgeon to use talons but he refused...won't go into the details) but nothing like after the first time so I am living with it. Unfortunately I am an avid golfer and my handicap has gone from a 4 to a 10 over the past year. I have accepted this and I am just glad that I am still here and able to enjoy getting out there playing with my friends.

 

[BDMc]

Thanks for sharing your stories. I think it is worth it, and hope it is simple and goes smoothly. I'll let you know.

 

[Ovie]

is it usually expected that you'll need your sternum wires taken out after surgery? or is it possible to live your entire life with them in?

 

[Johan]

I am under the impression that most of us live the rest of our lives with the sternum wires in, unless there is a complication as described by members above.

My wires are in and I don't even know that they are there. No problems hugging! I can't see them, feel them, totally unaware of them!

 

[swim mom]

I have had most of mine taken out for a variety of reasons. The pain the wires were causing was worse than having them out! It was quick and I was home by lunchtime each time.

 

[Vidhya]

Rajesh, my husband is going in for a surgery on March 20, 2012. The surgeon that we have chosen insists that the sternum wires are very good and there will be no complications.

I am scared after reading your posts here.

WE are meeting with the surgeon one last time on March 13th to get questions answered. I am going to ask him about the wires again. Would you suggest not going with the sternum wires??

How do they take the wires out? Do they cut open again? that seems scary. Would you recommend a different way?

Can you please let me know what should i ask the surgeon regarding the wires? Is it possible to know if Rajesh will have rejection issues, complications due to the wires even before the surgery.

Sorry. too many questions. BUt i am looking forward to your help.

thanks a tonne,
Vidhya

 

[Lynlw]

Rajesh, my husband is going in for a surgery on March 20, 2012. The surgeon that we have chosen insists that the sternum wires are very good and there will be no complications.

I am scared after reading your posts here.

WE are meeting with the surgeon one last time on March 13th to get questions answered. I am going to ask him about the wires again. Would you suggest not going with the sternum wires??

How do they take the wires out? Do they cut open again? that seems scary. Would you recommend a different way?

Can you please let me know what should i ask the surgeon regarding the wires? Is it possible to know if Rajesh will have rejection issues, complications due to the wires even before the surgery.

Sorry. too many questions. BUt i am looking forward to your help.

thanks a tonne,
Vidhya

Honestly and this is just MY opinion, I really wouldnt spend much time worrying about the wires. The chances of having problems and needing the wires removed are really really small. Hundreds of thousands of people have their sternum closed with wires every year and it is pretty rare hearing they needed removed. There are a couple newer ways, like "talons' and glue, but the glue is still experimental/trials and From what i know they still use or are supposed to use wires with it anyway. The talons are pretty new and most that reccomend them for people who the chances of having problems are higher than most and there also can be problems caused by Talons, especially if they have to reopen you in an emergency.

Pretty much reading here you can read about lots of rare problems that happen to a handful of people, I would just try to remember they are rare and the odds of any rare things happening are low and would probably spend the time focusing on things in your control to make the whole experience easiet on your family. But that is easier said than done

 

[Fundy]

As far as the sternum wires go, I don't even know they are there. Its only been four months that I have them. I kind of wondered before the surgery if they would bother me afterwards, but up till now other than the mention of them in a CT report, I couldn't even tell you for certain that I had any wires.

 

[Jkm7]

I agree that the sternum wires are really not something to worry about.
It is a tiny (but real) percentage of people who ever have a problem with them and the few who do have remedies. Most of us do just fine with them and aside from talon, which few surgeons use, they are the chosen method for securing the sternum for healing.

For those who do have a problem, the wires can be removed and while no one wants that, it is not a serious situation.

 

[BDMc]

Just left Dr. Khabbaz, and will likely schedule removal later this year due to work. My first two sets of wires were not an issue. I think those of us that have issues are in a very small minority statistically speaking. I was told that people with a little more meat on them are much less likely to have discomfort. As I said before, the two bothering me broke when they were twisting them, and they had to twist extensions on the broken wires in order to get a good closing of the sternum. So I have twice the wire I should have, but it did it's job. I had hoped for an outpatient procedure, but doc says warfarin will have to be stopped, + will require a few days in hospital to monitor PT/INR until level is back in range. :-( still I think I will do it.