Heart Hugger provides sternum stabilization, allowing patients to avoid potential complications and a safe and early return to normal respiratory levels.
During the heart surgery recovery period, it's critical to protect the sternal closure. The four basic principles to bone fracture management apply to cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.
Patients undergoing heart surgery naturally have many questions about the recovery process. You want to know how long you'll be in the hospital, how to take care of yourself when you arrive at home, and when you can begin normal activities.
Every patient's recovery timeline is different, and yours will depend on how well you're feeling after heart surgery. Here's a look at how an average patient's recovery period may look.
You'll need bed rest in the hospital's intensive care unit immediately after your heart surgery. You may be moved to the general care unit after a day, but it's also common for patients to stay in ICU a little longer.
If you’re looking at information related to heart surgery and recovery, chances are you’ve heard about heart pillows (also known as chest or cough pillows). These are commonly handed out to heart surgery patients, but it’s not often discussed whether these are actually helpful for recovery.
Heart pillows are meant to give patients something to hold to their chest when they need to cough or sneeze or to try and help alleviate some pain.
So the question is: are heart pillows truly a good addition to surgery recovery plans?
Heart health is one of the most important of all health subjects around the world. That's why we believe it is so important to raise awareness of heart health, and this is especially true during February, which is American Heart Health Month.
Heart disease is not just the most common disease but is also the #1 killer of women in the United States. Even young people are more vulnerable to the effects of heart disease now because of the high rates of obesity and high blood pressure, even in relatively younger adults. Smokers and individuals with high cholesterol are also at higher risk.
You probably never thought you'd have to look up "how to cough and sneeze," but the truth is that these simple, everyday actions can get a little more complicated after heart surgery. Here's everything you need to know, plus a few extra tips to keep you healthy and comfortable.
It can be tempting to avoid a cough or sneeze after heart surgery. The truth is that these actions aren't comfortable. At first, they can even be a little scary.
It's important to remember, though, that your body knows best. Coughing is vital to the healing process because it helps clear the lungs and prevent pneumonia.
Holding back a sneeze can be more uncomfortable (and damaging to your health) than simply sneezing. That's why you should keep right on doing these things; you need to find a way to make them easier, more comfortable, and a little less alarming.
As a heart surgery patient, you have a lot to think about, so don't let a packing list be something that stresses you out. Instead, use this handy checklist to get ready well ahead of time and feel comfortable, calm, and prepared on the way to the hospital.
Preparing for heart surgery is a journey with multiple steps. Naturally, packing for the hospital should be the quickest and easiest of those steps--but that's easier said than done.
To help you feel more confident about what to pack and what not to pack for your hospital stay, we've compiled this organized checklist. Feel free to change things up depending on what will make you most comfortable, and remember to ask your doctor for any special instructions.
There are all kinds of things to learn, know, and understand before open-heart surgery. Perhaps one of the most important is how long your recovery might take, but the truth is that there's no single answer. Read on to find out how to calculate open-heart surgery recovery time.
When it comes to preparing for open-heart surgery, most patients have a lot of questions, especially about recovery. However, recovery time isn't static; it's different for every patient, and a lot of things need to be factored in before you can get an accurate estimate.
Here are a few things to consider when asking about your recovery time.
Heart surgery is an intensive process. While you can trust your doctors to take good care of you, it's still important to know and understand the complications that might occur. Here is a quick list of complications that may occur after heart surgery, and what you can do to limit your risk.
Here are some potential complications stemming from heart surgery:
When you think about what makes you you, what is it that first comes to mind? Is it your physical features, like the specific shade of your eyes that you've never seen mimicked anywhere else? Is it a special skill? Is it some complex combination of the books you've read, the songs you've heard, the people you've met, and the things you've done? Whatever comes to mind when you think about yourself as an individual, it's likely not the simple yet incredibly important act of breathing.
Breathing is an important part of every life, yet it is often overlooked as an automatic and unnoticed detail--but after surgery, that can all change.
No matter what kind of chest operation you're having, a postoperative bra can help make the healing process easier, faster, and more comfortable. Read on to find out precisely what this simple but powerful garment can do for you!
A postoperative bra is a unique combination of "garment" and "device." Just like the name suggests, it's something you wear after a chest operation. However, thanks to specialized shaping, unique support mechanisms, and ample locations for surgical drain tubes, these postoperative bras are more than just a tool. They're quickly becoming an indispensable part of the healing process, and a favorite among both doctors and patients.
