According to the American Heart Association, approximately 700,000 open heart procedures are performed every year in the United States and of these, more than sixty-seven percent are Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting procedures (CABG). Mediastinitis is a devastating infectious complication involving the mediastinal space of the chest that can occur after an open heart surgical procedure. The presenter will focus on basic strategies for the prevention of mediastinitis.;Objectives: Name the common mechanisms of intra-operative wound contamination that lead to mediastinitis surgical site infections. Describe strategies for the prevention of mediastinitis.