Heart Hugger speeds recovery with less pain, provides wound support and reduced risk of complications.

1. Heart Hugger is applied in the ICU just before beginning your first respiratory therapy exercises.
2. Squeeze the handles together when you stand up, sit in the chair in your room, go to the bathroom, when walking or when your caregiver is turning you in the bed.
3. Anytime you have to cough or sneeze squeeze the handles together (especially when using the incentive spirometer).
4. Heart Hugger should be readjusted over your street clothes and worn at home continuing to give you the wound support you need for 4-6 weeks.

After surgery, your lungs need to expand. That is why your deep breathing exercises (Respiratory Therapy) are critical to your recovery. While in surgery the ventilator was breathing for you causing your lungs to retain the water vapor that is normally expelled when you exhale. This vapor settles in your lungs and is coughed up in the form of phlegm. Each time you cough your lungs press outward against your ribcage and sternum in all directions(percussive expansion). This puts unwanted stress on the wires holding your sternum together. This stress, if remained unsupported, can lead to pain and possibly severe sternal wound complications.

General Cardiac Technology, Inc. is manufacturer of Heart Hugger Sternum Support Harness. Heart Hugger currently comes in four sizes; small, regular and large and are product coded as GT500, GT1000 GT1500 and GT2000 respectively. All four sizes of Heart Hugger are manufactured by an experienced contract medical manufacturer in which the materials used during the manufacturing process along with the materials used in the product are Latex free.

“Over half our patients are released by the fifth post-operative day and many by the fourth post-operative day. I believe this is due in a large part to the fact that we have a device available which allows the patient to continue aggressive coughing and deep breathing at home, with much less discomfort.”
–David G. Ellertson, M.D., Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, Modesto CA

“I recommend and prescribe it for all my open heart patients. They testify that their recoveries have been much quicker while using Heart Hugger compared to prior surgeries when the device was not available.”
–S. Vathayanon, M.D., Cardiac, Vascular & Thoracic Surgery, Fresno CA

“To prevent dehiscence and to reduce pain postoperatively…hospitals issue heart-shaped pillows and teddy bears for the purpose, this splints the wound in one plane only. One case of unusual sternal nonunion… led the physical therapy team one our cardiac rehabilitation unit to investigate more effective mechanical means to stabilize the thoracic cage. The principle method employed was a relatively inexpensive sternum support harness [“Heart Hugger”, General Cardiac Technology Inc., Santa Cruz, CA] which was used by patients with complaints of sternal pain, or with signs of wound dehiscence of instability…Since the patient can wear the harness it has the advantage of being available when the need arises, for the instance, during therapy, or when the patient wakes up at night.”
–Peg Meisler, Physical Therapist, West Haverstraw, NY, The Sternum Support Harness for the Treatment of Sternotomy Pain and the Prevention of Sternal Instability

“Heart Hugger helps my patients get well faster by giving them the confidence to cough, knowing they will not suffer from doing so.”
–J. Marvin Smith, M.D., Cardiovascular Surgeon, San Antonio TX

“I have used the support harness in over 100 consecutive open heart surgical patients during the last two years. I clearly am in favor of using Heart Hugger on a routine basis.”
–Ravi Koopot, M.D., Cardiovascular Surgery, Phoenix AZ

“I greatly appreciated Heart Hugger during my recovery period after my own open heart surgery. I found it made me feel a lot more comfortable.”
–Vernon Stafford, M.D., Mission Hills CA

“I strongly believe that the support harness has played the major role in preventing sternal wound separation.”
–David G. Ellertson, M.D., Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, Modesto CA [Written in reference to a 400-patient study in which no dehiscences or retrosternal infections were reported]

“I am impressed that as I have followed up my patients in the office, they have continued to comment that the Heart Hugger appliance made their convalescences much easier at home, and that they have continued to use it beyond hospitalization.”
–Michael F. Teodori, M.D., Pediatric & Adult Cardiovascular Surgery, Phoenix AZ