1. Double criss-cross sternal wiring and chest wound infections
Tomaso Bottio, MD, Vladimiro L. Vida, MD, Gino Gerosa, MD, Dino Casarotto, MD 
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery 
Volume 76, Issue 3, Pages (September 2003)
DOI: /S (03)

2. Fig 1
(A) The four wires used to close the sternal body are placed as follows: The first runs from the fifth intercostal space (V) through the opposite third intercostal space (III) and then from the other third intercostal space to the opposite fifth (black solid and broken line). Likewise, the second wire goes from the fourth intercostal space (IV) to the opposite intercostal space (II) and from the other second intercostal space to the opposite fourth space (red solid and broken line). The last two wires are each passed singly through the sternal bone and control the remaining part of the sternum. (B) Closed chest. The wires on one side of the sternum (∗) exert force from up to down, and those (#) on the other side counter with an opposite force. Together, the wires in the double criss-cross sternal closure provide a great stability to the chest.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (03) )