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Anyone who's ever had to let their body heal before (which is just about all of us) can attest that the healing process is important--and that is never more true than when it comes to cardiac rehab. Healing is a journey, and with a device like Heart Hugger, that journey can be easier, quicker, and more painless than ever.

Sternum Support

One of the most important parts of healing for cardiac rehab is sternum support. Providing safe, comfortable protection to the body and the incision, sternum support garments help to speed healing and improve patient comfort.

How?

The human body is a truly amazing machine. Against all odds, our bones, muscles, and organs work together to keep us alive, functioning in ways that we still don't fully understand. Consider, for just a moment, all of the events taking place within any of us right now. The heart is beating. The lungs are working to breathe. The brain is computing thousands of thoughts, sensations, and messages every second. The body is completely responsible for these functions, ensuring that they take place and that they succeed--and it's a good thing, too, because no one really knows how to voluntarily beat their own heart or control messages sent by the brain. When it comes right down to it, we do very little to take care of our bodies considering how much they do for us. However, there are some occasions when the body demands more care, like after cardiac surgery--and on those occasions, rehabilitation is the answer.

In part 1 of our blog series, we went over the possible complications that accompany sternum surgery. It is unfortunately very common for postoperative complications to arise, and it is only wise and prudent for healthcare providers such as yourselves to foresee these issues and give your patients the best course of action for their immediate health. There are several different postoperative care options out there, but one that has stood out to healthcare providers is the HeartHugger. This noninvasive care option enables patients to manage their pain and recovery at a reasonable pace with relative ease.

Preparing for heart surgery is just as important as setting yourself up for a successful recovery. Once you leave the hospital, it will be up to you to make sure your body is healthy. Heart surgery recovery does not need to be overcomplicated if you take the right steps. Here are three things to know.

Answered Questions about Recovering from Heart Surgery

1. When Can I Go Home?

Following surgery, it will take up to a week before you can leave the hospital. After four or five days of rest, you should be able to walk around and go up and down stairs. Patients do not leave the hospital with pain medication any stronger than Motrin or Tylenol so by the time you can go home, you will still be sore but not in an excruciating amount of pain.