Staged Delayed Sternal Closure Using a Binder Clip After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

After pediatric cardiac surgery, patients who undergo delayed sternal closure may become hemodynamically unstable. We performed a staged sternal closure technique using a binder clip in 31 consecutive patients to minimize cardiopulmonary instability. Only one patient (3.2%) died of mediastinitis. Thus, our technique may be safe and minimize cardiopulmonary instability. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12767 (J Card Surg 2016;31:464-466).