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Things to Watch for After Heart Surgery

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woman after heart surgery

There’s no more important time to stay in tune with your body than after heart surgery. It is essential to the recovery process that you note pain and discomfort. This is especially critical for the incision site and surrounding areas. There are many different things to watch for after your procedure. Along with these you may find it difficult to jump back into regular activities. Giving your body adequate time to heal and fully recover is extremely vital.

Some of the things patients experience after heart surgery are completely normal. They are just a part of the process and recovery. There may be issues that are abnormal after surgery. Reporting these to your doctor is important. In some cases, future visits or hospital stays may be necessary. The more attention you pay to what you are feeling and experiencing the better the aftermath will be.

Pay Attention to Pain

Sternum Stabilization Prevents Pain

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Heart patient with doctor

Experiencing pain after open heart surgery is unavoidable. Everyday activities such as getting dressed or getting in and out of a car become frustrating and exhausting. Not to mention these tasks put stress on the surgical wound site.

There are few options available to patients in the way of pain management. The first and most obvious are pain medications such as Oxycodone, Vicodin and Demerol. These types of medications are often used primarily for in-patient treatment. Once the patient is discharged, patients often have to rely on ibuprofen, Tylenol or Celebrex. These medications do come with side effects such as upset stomach, dizziness and ulcers to name a few.

Pain After Cardiac or Thoracic Surgery

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Managing Pain After Heart Surgery

Pain becomes a stark reality with those who’ve just gone through surgery, especially after going through cardiac and thoracic surgery.  Pain medication provides some relief, but not enough. Those unexpected sneezing fits can catch us by surprise and simple movements that we make throughout our everyday lives can prove to be a hindrance. Who knew that making the bed could hurt so badly? Or a simple act of sitting down on the couch could cause so much pain? This is hardly unexpected after one goes through major heart surgery.

This is where Heart Hugger comes into play. With the help of Heart Hugger, a patient’s pain can be reduced in many ways.

Below are just three ways of how Heart Hugger can help reduce the pain:

Cardiac Rehab After Heart Surgery

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heart surgery recovery

When you consider the words "heart surgery," what is it that first comes to mind? For most of us, it's the beginning: preparing for surgery, the surgery itself, and the hospital stay. Of course, this is a big part of heart surgery. These first steps are important, and it's no wonder that these steps are the ones that most eagerly leap to mind when we think about heart surgery. But there is a second, equally important part--another set of steps--which comes after the heart surgery. What we must consider now is cardiac surgery rehabilitation.

Sternum Stabilization During Cardiac Rehab

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Heart Health

Whether by devouring a book with a passionate eye for plot, rushing out of a movie theater to write a review for some lackluster storyline, or simply enjoying a favorite family narrative, we have all found it to be true: every tale has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Of course, books and movies aren't the only things to experience this uniformity--we see the same pattern in life. One such example lies in undertaking the journey that is heart surgery. Heart patients endure the beginning of the tale, the surgery itself, and then the middle, the healing process, and finally, the end--the recovery. Today, like any good writer, medical science has started to focus on that middle section, finding ways to minimize complications so that the story itself is smoother--and sternum stabilization is just one revolutionary answer.

What to Expect After Heart Surgery

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After Heart Surgery

Do you remember the first time you saw a diagram of a real human heart? The sight was probably shocking, considering most of us spend our young childhood years imagining a heart as a simple, rounded shape that exchanges medical accuracy for endearing charm. Your viewpoint of the heart was changing, and suddenly, your own heart seemed alien and extraordinary. After cardiac surgery, the same thing is happening--your viewpoint of your own heart is changing once again. As a result, it can often be a great comfort to simply know what to expect after heart surgery.

The Advantages of Heart Hugger Respiratory Splinting

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Respiratory Splinting

In the year of 1988, the FDA classified Heart Hugger as a Class I Medical Device. The following year, Heart Hugger was Medicare Approved. Surgeons and patients alike have given their testimonials on how Heart Hugger has helped them.

Since 1988, hospitals, surgeons, and patients alike have reaped the benefits of Heart Hugger. Below are the examples of how Heart Hugger has done exactly that:

The History of Sternal Dehiscence

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Sternal Dehiscence

The midline sternotomy made its entrance into the clinical world, but not without complications. Sternal infection was on the rise. Sternal dehiscence was treated with open drainage and debridement with packing. Results included complications like graft exposure, desiccation of wound margins, osteomyelitis, and death. In 1963, Shucker and Mandelbaum introduced closed management with catheter-antibiotic irrigation. Survival rates increased, but they were still pretty slim. With the mortality risks, there was great desire to discover better wound care.

Changes in Management

First of all, sternal instability was causing mediastinal infections of the wounds. The surgeon must take the time to use the meticulous technique when doing a sternotomy. Proper placement reduces the risks of mediastinitis.

Promote Healing with a Postoperative Bra

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Woman wearing Postoperative Bra

If you or someone you love is recovering from thoracic surgery, it is possible to experience greater comfort and pain management with the use of a Postoperative Bra which offers complete wound support. This device also contributes to a quicker return to pre-operative respiratory function, because when the patient's pain levels are reduced they are more willing to exercise their lungs.

Here are some of the benefits provided by a Post-operative Bra

  • Tension on the incision site is eliminated by the immediate support gained from a post-operative bra. Healing is promoted when the weight and movement of breast tissue is contained and supported. Postoperative Bras reduce the risk of wound complications because they support breast tissue, thus prohibiting any pulling on sternotomy wounds.

Adjusting the Sternum Stabilization Harness

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Nurse and patient

Patients who have recently had thoracic surgery benefit greatly from having additional sternum support that a harness provides. Making simple adjustments in the way the Heart Hugger Sternum Support Harness is worn can make all the difference in patient comfort. Follow some of these simple guidelines to make your experience with this product more satisfactory.

Greater Support

If you do not seem to be getting enough support with your Sternum Support Harness, it may be because the Velcro on the handles needs to be tightened. Tighten the Velcro straps on both sides of the handles. Make adjustments in small increments, keeping the handles symmetrical and centered, and the same distance away from your sternum.

Positioning

  • If your Heart Hugger is riding up under your arms, please adjust the suspender-like shoulder straps which controls the height of the chest strap. Loosen the straps equally to keep front handles even in front.

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