How often do you think about breathing? For most of us, it's an unconscious action—until it becomes painful. For patients recovering from thoracic surgery, every breath can be a reminder of their healing journey. Fortunately, with proper respiratory splinting, breathing can become easy and natural again, even during recovery.
If you're researching information related to heart surgery and recovery, you've likely come across mentions of heart pillows (also known as chest or cough pillows). For years, these pillows have been standard issue in many hospitals for patients recovering from heart surgery or sternotomies. The traditional thinking was that heart pillows could provide comfort and support when patients needed to cough, sneeze, or manage pain.
Complications after heart surgery aren't just bad news for patients—they also impact hospitals. Wound complications in a patient can be devastating financially for hospitals, especially when handling Medicare and co-morbid patients.
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.
If you are a medical professional, you are always looking for ways to improve the quality of your patients’ lives. One area that can be particularly beneficial for patients is recovery after surgery, and Heart Hugger can help.
After surgery, your patient will have Heart Hugger put on them by a nurse, and it will stay on during the recovery process. Prior to surgery the patient should have been fitted and sized so everything is ready. The patient retains control of the harness and can use the handles to adjust pressure.
Heart Hugger works for the patient throughout recovery and facilitates an additional means of pain management. The overall process also helps patients feel in control of their comfort, aiding further in the ability to recover smoothly.
Rib fractures are surprisingly common. Just like with every other bone, ribs can be fractured in multiple different ways, and the specifics are crucial in deciding treatment and care. Rib fractures can be uncomplicated, which means that the bone is broken in only one location, or complicated, which means that the ribs are broken in multiple locations or are extremely unstable.
Because of the location and huge responsibility of the ribs themselves, even an uncomplicated rib fracture could lead to serious complications; internal chest bleeding, lung collapse, fluid accumulation, and countless other medical issues can arise. As a result, there are a few important things to consider when you have a fractured rib.
So, what needs to be on your mind if you fracture a rib? Here's a quick look!
Open heart surgery is increasingly common, and although the procedure is used to solve many problems, it causes one big issue for all patients: pain. Luckily, with respiratory splinting, that big issue is getting demoted.
Not long ago, the very idea of open heart surgery seemed like a futuristic dream--something that our ancestors would never have been able to create, perform, or survive. These days, open heart surgery is increasingly common, and although the procedure is used to solve many problems, it causes one big issue for all patients: pain. Luckily, with respiratory splinting, that "big issue" is getting demoted.
It is said that pain after a thoracotomy is among the most severe post-surgery pains--and it's likely that your patients would agree. You know just how much of an obstacle to healing pain can be, bringing obstacles and possible complications, but luckily, there are answers. With respiratory splinting, managing post-thoracotomy pain is easier than ever.
If you have cardiac or thoracic surgery planned in the near future, then you’re also going to have many questions concerning the procedure. What is the procedure going to be like? How long is the recovery time expected to be for a procedure like this? Your surgeon will be able to answer the majority of these questions, however, having never gone through the procedure themselves, it may prove difficult to explain how it feels to have a surgical wound.
