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How Do Sternum (Sternal) Wires Work During Heart Surgery?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: May 12, 2025

Although minimally-invasive procedures are becoming more prevalent in the heart valve surgery community, open heart surgery via a broken sternum is still performed in most cases involving heart valve repair and heart valve replacement surgery.

Xray of sternum wires after open heart surgery

Median Sternotomy with Wires

That said, the sternum is "cracked" through a medical procedure known as a median sternotomy procedure. To learn more about a broken sternum, click here.

Yes, I know... The sound of that for a patient or a caregiver is tough to contemplate. I remember asking my cardiologist, "Ya ya ya ya mean that you're going to crack my chest?" (That was a purposeful stutter intended to create drama by the way.)

Once you get over the fear, the reality sets. You think to yourself as you rub your chest, "OMG! My sternum is going to be split! My surgeon is going to saw through my breast bone!"

Then comes the ultimate question, "How the heck are you going to keep my chest plate together once you fix my heart?"

The answer to that is sternum wires (also known as sternal wires).

As a double heart valve surgery patient, I can relate to this all too well!

FYI, the picture below is me one week after surgery. Obviously there are no sternum wires to be seen. Just a nice scar that measures nine inches. (So you know, my scar is almost invisible these days. Click here for my heart valve surgery pictures.)

Heart Surgery Patient Showing Median Sternotomy Incision Scar

Again, sternum wires (aka sternal wires) are used to close the breastbone following the surgical procedure on the heart. The chest is then closed with special internal or external stitches.

Interesting point to note... My incisional scar (on my skin) was not stitched together. That's right. No stitches on my incision! Instead, Dr. Vaughn Starnes used a very strong type of glue to make the skin attach. Maybe that's why my scar is barely visible these days.

I hope this helps explain how, at a high-level, your chestbone is re-positioned and secured following open heart surgery. Most of the time sternum wires (aka sternal wires) are used.

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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