Inventing Heart Hugger
Necessity really is the Mother of Invention:
The company was founded by Glenn Williams. In 1984, he underwent cardiovascular bypass surgery, and he realized that his recovery would have been easier if he'd had a support device to hold his sternum in place. Squeezing a pillow helped somewhat, but it gave him little useful support when he coughed and almost none when he walked around. It occurred to him that if he had a device that wrapped all the way around his sternum and gave him the ability to apply an even encircling pressure whenever he needed it, his comfort level would improve and he'd place less strain on the wound.
Over the next months, he developed Heart Hugger™ and four years later, he founded General Cardiac Technology to make, market and distribute it. In the following years, the company grew, and under the direction of its current President, Craig Wilson, it has developed national and international acceptance for the Heart Hugger™ concept.
Today, Heart Hugger is part of the recovery process for CABG, heart valve, and thoracic surgery patients in over 220 U.S. Heart Hospitals and over 370 Heart Programs world-wide. Why?
The Locus of Control theory suggests that if you get your heart bypass and thoracic surgery patients actively involved in their own recovery, they will recover faster. This is exactly what Heart Hugger does, it gets your patients actively involved in their recovery, offering them 24/7 pain management literally at their fingertips well before ther enter any cardiac rehabilitation program.
Generally the top priority goals facing sternotomy and thorocotomy patients during recovery are:
1. Returning to pre-op respiratory levels
2. Stabilizing their sternal or thoracic wound
Not meeting these goals can be disastrous for a smooth recovery and can result in wound infections like mediastinitis and dehiscence, or pulmonary complications like atelectasis and pneumonia. The next step is a readmission to the ICU and/or OR, much pain and suffering for the patient, not to mention a financial burden to the hospital.
Heart Hugger gives your patient full time control over wound stress. Worn over their clothing in the hospital and after discharge, indoors and out, it remains passive until it is needed: anytime the patient is coughing, sneezing or moving. The patient simply squeezes the handles together, tightening the chest strap, encircling the entire rib cage with uniform pressure, laterally splinting their surgical wound.
This pain relief leads to increased confidence and independence. Your patients become more aggressive with their deep breathing and coughing; increasing their incentive spirometer performance during respiratory therapy, getting them back to their pre-op respiratory levels faster. They may even call for less pain medication. In addition they will be stabilizing their wound by providing healing support. Vascular Surgeons and Pulminologist will also find Heart Hugger useful in speeding their patient's return to pre-op respiratory levels and supporting their wound.
Heart Hugger is worn for 4-8 weeks post-operatively (most sternal wound complications arise from the 10th-21st day post-op, including dehiscence) Heart Hugger offers effective support when patients are out of your care and most at risk. No pillow can do that!