OPENING THE CHEST 



109 



tically all important blood vessels will be avoided. Just 

 inside the chest the mammary vessels will be found on 

 each side of the midline. These vessels should be sepa- 

 rated, each pair remaining attached to the under surface 

 of its corresponding side of the sternum. If one of these 

 vessels is cut it must be quickly caught with a hemostat 

 and then a string is pushed (with the large sharp-pointed 

 forceps) through the chest wall close to the lateral sternal 







Fig. 105. Method of opening the chest by a median incision. 



border and the end brought around inside the chest. This 

 string is now tied firmly and should shut off the vessel on 

 one side of the cut place. But a second string is generally 

 needed on the opposite side of the opening in the vessel 

 to prevent hemorrhage from the other end of the vessel. 

 All hemorrhage should be checked before one proceeds 

 with the experiment. When all bleeding has stopped then 

 (with the forceps) pass the four large twine strings through 



