A case of surgery using the prone position for a patient who had undergone removal of the sternum and re-closure with the omentum

Abstract

 We report the case of surgery using the prone position for a patient whose sternum had been removed following poststernotomy mediastinitis. The 83-year-old male patient had been scheduled for C4-6 laminoplasty and C3 and C7 dome plasty for cervical spinal canal stenosis. He had a surgical history of debridement, with removal of the infected sternum and reconstruction using the omentum because of poststernotomy mediastinitis following a median sternotomy two years earlier. We were uncertain about the stabilization of the thorax and the pressure on the heart if a patient with no sternum was placed in the prone position. After this case, we conclude that spinal surgery can be safely performed using the prone position for a patient who has undergone removal of the sternum and re-closure with the omentum.