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Cardiac Rehab from a Patient's Perspective

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cardiac rehab

You have plenty of experience in the field of medicine and healing. You know the ins and outs, the ups and downs--and even though your patients trust you, they just can't see eye-to-eye with you on cardiac rehab, simply because they don't have the same specialized knowledge that you do. Bridging the gap between what you know and what your patients know is important, but sometimes it can be difficult when you're so focused on the healing process itself. That's why it's helpful to take a moment to review cardiac rehab from a patient's perspective.

Respiratory Splinting: The Answer to Post-thoracotomy Pain

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Respiratory Splinting

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.

Study Proves the Effectiveness of Postoperative Bras

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doctor and patient

You're a professional. You're likely interested in the medical field and all of the beneficial and, frankly, kind of amazing advances that it makes--but at the end of the day, what's most important to you is knowing how these advances can help your patients get healthy quicker and more comfortably. That's just what one study set out to prove--and the results about postoperative bras could revolutionize healing for cardiac patients.

3 Things to Know About Heart Surgery Recovery

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patient recovering from heart surgery

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.

3 Things You Should Know About Heart Valves

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Heart Health

Everyone goes through cycles of health, but certain symptoms point to larger problems. Heart health experts tend to look for issues such as chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath. If any of these have occurred to you recently, read on to learn about heart valves and health upkeep.

1. Symptoms of Problems

While heart valves are essential for the functions of our body, it can be difficult to know when problems are arising. For instance, if you are used to performing certain activities with ease and are suddenly tired very easily, it can be a heart health issue. Same goes for feeling tired all the time in general. Also, if you feel lightheaded, dizzy, or experience fainting, you should see a doctor. Chest pains or irregular heartbeat are addition symptoms of problems.

Protecting the Sternum from Sternal Dehiscence

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Sternal Dehiscence

After cardiac surgery, the sternum needs special care. Protecting it is one of the biggest and most important steps in the healing process--and that's because the risks are especially high. One possible complication is sternal dehiscence, which, while painful and dangerous, can be avoided with the help of proper care and sternum support.

What You Need to Know

Sternal dehiscence occurs when the sternum separates completely into two parts. It is sometimes related to infections of sternum wounds, and is linked specifically to certain types of cardiac surgery. Females are at greater risk than males, but there are risk factors that increase the chances of sternal dehiscence in both genders, including smoking, obesity, multiple operations, and more. The most important things to know about sternal dehiscence are:

Effects on the Sternum After Heart Surgery

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After Heart Surgery

There are a lot of components to consider when it comes to healing after heart surgery, but one of the most important components is the treatment of the sternum. In truth, the sternum is actually a broken bone at the beginning of the healing process--but is it treated as such? Are there extra considerations? Here's a closer look.

Sternum Care

When it comes to any broken bone, there are four basic principles of management--and they're an important part of how the sternum is treated after heart surgery. They are as follows:

  1. Realignment of bone fragments
  2. Stabilizing the bone so that it can heal without a significant interruption in normal movement and function
  3. Keeping up the blood supply to the broken bone and surrounding area
  4. Prioritizing safety and quick healing

 

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