Free Anterolateral Thigh Flap Coverage for Post-sternotomy Mediastinitis: Report of a Case

Post-sternotomy mediastinitis is a rare and very troublesome complication of cardiac surgery. A 49-year-old male patient with critical left main coronary artery disease underwent urgent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery by means of median sternotomy. Unfortunately, the patient developed mediastinitis and a spacious defect was left after adequate debridement. Reconstructive plastic surgery with free anterolateral thigh flap coverage was used for treating this problem. We believe that it is the first application of such an anterolateral thigh free flap for treating an extensive tissue defect caused by a deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery.