Case-control study of risk factors for mediastinitis after cardiovascular surgery.

We report results of a case-control study in which we evaluated 41 risk factors potentially associated with the development of postsurgical mediastinitis. There were 163 case patients and 326 control patients. Independent risk factors kept in the final multivariate logistic regression model were obesity (defined as a body mass index of greater than 30), diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, preoperative stay longer than 1 week, pulmonary hypertension, perioperative myocardial infarction, and reoperation.