sternum wires

[joygard1]

Last sternum wires inserted in 2009.I had an X-ray on my knee yesterday and small pieces of metal are showing up on the X-ray in various places in my leg.Question after 13 years is it possible the sternum wires are disintegrating ??

[Hidden]

Dear joygard1

Thank you for your first post and a most interesting one at that.

I have never heard of the wire used in any surgery disintegrating but that's not to say that it can't happen, surely your X-ray tech must be asking the questions to who-ever.

Please keep us informed of any outcome because there are many on here that have had the procedure { including me } the only thing I noticed on a recent chest x-ray was the jumble of wires holding my chest together and even the tech said that it looked like the surgeon was late for his tea and rushed it !

Take care

[joygard1 in reply to Hidden]

thank you for your reply, have a telephone consultation with the GP on Friday who can review the Xray. The Tech Lady at the Xray asked if I had been in the Military which I have, and she asked me to look at the Xray and pointed to 7-8 white specks which she said is metal and looks like shrapnel,I spent a long time in the Royal Navy but although involved in a number of incidents around the world nothing that would have left this sought of damage. Like you have seen the Sternum Wire on a Xray it certainly is a mesh and looks strange but hasn't caused any problems over 13 years. Keep you informed as to the end result, I guess I will get referred back to a Cardiologist at some stage

[MountainGoat52]

I'm sure many of us here on the forum look forward to hearing the outcome on this one. It is most strange and I hope it's not just passed off as unexplained. I would have thought that the sternum repairing itself would have enveloped the wires, but maybe that's not the case.

[joygard1 in reply to MountainGoat52]

If you have an xray of your chest even after13 years you can see the mesh quite clearly, had an angiogram recently and the cardiologist made no comment apart from a 3rd CABG he was not happy to have done so taking multiple drugs

[MountainGoat52 in reply to joygard1]

Yes, I'd expect the wires to show up on an X-ray for the rest of your life, but that they would be covered by bone and so not be able to disintegrate. Maybe that is not the case.

[joygard1 in reply to MountainGoat52]

Will wait and see what my GP phone diagnosis is, I have Googled this subject and apparently the wires or mesh can fracture although it is unusual

[Wooodsie]

I guess their next move will be to have your chest x-rayed. Can't believe the technician didn't do it there and then. But i guess they are all blinkered.

I went to have my knee investigated for a replacement, thet said my hip was much worse than my knee. That's OK then, discharged 🤷‍♂️🤣🤣 Start again with hip 🤔😁

[joygard1 in reply to Wooodsie]

The xray techs will only do what the piece of paper states, in my local hospital the Cardiologist are opposite the xray dept, but simple logic does not work in the NHS,although I must say I am very grateful for the 2xtriple bypass surgeries carried out at St Thomases even though the first time I contracted MRSA and spent 7 weeks in the hospital ,2nd time just the 6 days. Hope your hip and knee replacement does not take to long.

Will advise result when the Doc has had a look

[Wooodsie]

There's hope for us all then 😂😂

[joygard1 in reply to Wooodsie]

I hope all turns out OK

[Wingnutty]

Even if the wires were disintegrating which is unheard of, I don't see how the fragments could be accumulating around your knee without accumulating in every other part of your body and you would certainly know about it in that case. I used to work on an MRI scanner and one of the questions we had to ask patients was 'Have you ever been a welder'. The reason for asking that question is that it is possible for welders to have spits of melting welding rod hit them and bury into the skin. While painful at that time, some people just get used to it and forget about it, but it can materially affect the quality of MRI images and could even cause pain during an MRI exam, which is why the question is asked. I suppose these fragments would equally show up on X-ray. I don't suppose you have done any welding in your time where there may have been any spits of hot metal around your knee have you?

[joygard1 in reply to Wingnutty]

Very interesting about Welders, now you have put it in writing it is just total logic, but for sure has never crossed my mind.

No I spent much of my early life in the Royal Navy and although involved in a number of we will call them incidents around the world, no Welding, and I was lucky not to get injured.

It will be interesting to get the answer from the Medics