Objective To explore the safety and value of sternal ligation band in the operation of sternal cleavage for thymic tumor.

Methods From June 2020 to December 2020, 34 patients with thymic tumor who underwent sternotomy in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were selected as the research subjects. According to the sternal fixation materials, they were divided into sternal ligation group (observation group, n=13) and steel wire group (control group, n=21). The duration of sternum fixation, amount of blood loss during sternum fixation, visual analogue score of postoperative pain, incision complications, and other clinical indexes were observed and compared between the two groups.

Results The sternal fixation time in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group, the amount of bleeding during sternum fixation in the observation group was less than that in the control group (7.6±2.3min vs 17.2±1.9 min, 44.0±34.0 mL vs 110.0±36.0 mL), the visual analogue score of postoperative pain in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (2.1±1.0 vs 4.9±1.0), and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusions Sternal ligation band is reliable, simple, and safe in sternal cleavage for thymic tumors, which can significantly shorten the time of closing the chest, reduce bleeding during sternum fixation and relieve postoperative pain.