Efficacy of Surgical Drainage Versus Antimicrobial Therapy Alone in the Management of Acute Mediastinitis: A Single‐Center Retrospective Study

The management of AM should be guided by initial disease severity. Surgical drainage is indispensable for severely ill patients with high qSOFA scores, while antimicrobial therapy alone is sufficient for stable patients with early-stage infections. Treatment should be individualized based on etiology, imaging, and clinical status.