Topical rifampicin for prevention of deep sternal wound infections in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting

Deep sternal wound infections (DSWI), although an infrequent complication, significantly impair postoperative outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Among several preventive strategies, topical antibiotic therapy immediately before sternal closure has been strongly advocated. In this retrospective analysis, the incidence of DSWI in 517 patients undergoing isolated CABG and receiving rifampicin irrigation of mediastinum, sternum and suprasternal tissues was compared to an historical consecutive cohort of 448 patients. To account for the inherent selection bias, a 1:1 propensity matched analysis was performed. Patients receiving topical rifampicin experienced significantly less occurrence of postoperative DSWI (0.2% vs 2.5%, p = 0.0016 in the unmatched analysis; 0.3% vs 2.1%, p = 0.0391 in the matched analysis). Intensive care unit stay, hospital stay, and operative mortality were similar between groups. This study shows that topical rifampicin in combination with commonly prescribed preventative strategies significantly reduces the incidence of DSWI to less than 0.3% in unselected patients undergoing a full median sternotomy for CABG. Further studies, including a larger number of patients and with a randomization design, would establish the potential preventative role of topical rifampicin in reducing the occurrence of DSWI.