A 64-year-old male, who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery 7 years ago, presented for preoperative screening for repair of a ventral hernia. Physical exam was significant for sternal instability. On chest radiography, the inferior number 7 stainless steel sternal ring from his sternotomy was fragmented. An invasive coronary angiogram failed to clarify the precise location of the wire fragment. A Cardiac Computed Tomographic Angiogram (CCTA) demonstrated sternal nonunion (Fig. 1). The lowest sternal wire had brokenoff, with two smaller fragments migrating posterior.
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