Several methods have been used in wound closure after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In this study, the safety and efficacy of one of these methods, Steri-Strip S is compared with the traditional intracuticular suture method. Eighty-one patients undergoing CABG were prospectively randomized into two groups according to the method of skin closure: Steri-Strip S group and traditional suture group. Comparison between the two methods was done with regards to the length of the wound and the time needed to close it. The median closure time with Steri-Strip S was 5.45+/-3.35 min vs. 7.53+/-3.41 min in the suture group. A pain score of >or=6 at the first postoperative day was found in 30% of the patients in the suture group vs. 14% of the patients in the Steri-Strip S group (P=0.07). Cosmetic evaluation showed a non-significant difference in the linear visual analogue score in favor of Steri-Strip S group compared to the intracuticular suture group (73.1 vs. 70.1) (P=0.07). Steri-Strip S is a fast, safe alternative for wound closure of the sternotomy incision and graft harvesting site. A larger study is needed to establish the potential beneficial effect of Steri-Strip S on wound infection prevention.

Free-floating right heart thrombi are extremely mobile structures that carry a very high mortality rate. We describe a case of pulmonary embolism with a free-floating right heart thrombus that migrated to the superior vena cava during the institution of cardiopulmonary bypass.