Brachial plexus and related lesions after median sternotomy

A prospective study was undertaken in 459 cases, undergoing open heart surgery which necessitated median sternotomy, to see the frequency of brachial plxus and peripheral nerve related complications in the upper limbs. Seven cases (1.53%) had such complications, These included lower trunk injury (3 cases), ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (3 cases), and radial neuropathy at the level of radial groove (one case). The youngest patient was aged 12 years and the remaining 6 patients were more than 30 years of age, There was no relation between the type of heart disease and these complications, The difference between patients with or without preparation of the internal mammary artery for graft was not significant, All the complications occured on the left side. Ulnar and radial nerve palsy could be due to the positioning of the left limb. The brachial plexus injury was related to retraction of the sternum during operation.