Breast size as a risk factor for sternal wound complications following cardiac surgery

M. Copeland, C. Senkowski, M. Ulcickas, M. Mendelson and R. B. Griepp
Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if macromastia is associated with risk for deep sternal wound infection following cardiac surgery via median sternotomy incision. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Private urban teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Women who developed deep sternal wound infection after undergoing cardiac surgery via median sternotomy incision and a random sample of women who did not develop infection following the same surgery. OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratios (ORs) were used to compare the development of deep sternal wound infection in women who wore large bra cups (size D or DD) with women who wore small bra cups (size A or B) and to compare women who wore medium bra cups (size C) with those who wore small bra cups. RESULTS: For women who wore large bra cups, the OR for deep sternal wound infection was 38.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6 to 265.8) compared with women who wore small bra cups. For women who wore medium bra cups, the OR for deep sternal wound infection was 12.3 (95% CI, 2.2 to 68.7). The multivariate adjusted ORs, controlling for body mass index, internal mammary artery grafting, diabetes, and age, were 42.1 (95% CI, 3.7 to 477.3) for women who wore large bra cups compared with women who wore small bra cups and 14.9 (95% CI, 1.7 to 129.7) for women who wore medium bra cups compared with women who wore small bra cups. CONCLUSIONS: Large and medium bra cups sizes are associated with an increased risk for deep sternal wound infection after undergoing cardiac surgery via median sternotomy incision.

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