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.
An Overview of Pain
Sometimes, it can be easy to get so caught up in the big-picture of the healing process that you forget the specifics of the pain your patients are experiencing. It's important to remember that a thoracotomy involves a particularly painful incision that interrupts a lot of normal functions, like moving and breathing, which means that the pain can be aggravated countless times during the day. In some cases, even something as simple as breathing becomes a chore, and that is a serious obstacle to healing. Pain like this can keep patients from following your recommendations and, sometimes, it can even cause severe complications.
What You Need to Know
In order to keep up efficient, open communication with your patients, it's important to remind yourself of what they could be going through. It's also important to know that there is a solution. Let our respiratory splinting experts explain!
- Acute pain. Acute post-thoracotomy pain involves severe discomfort of the entire chest area, including nerves, ribs, joints, and more. This kind of pain can cause serious complications when patients try to limit their own movement and thus don't allow coughing to do its job.
- Chronic pain. Chronic post-thoracotomy pain is described as a specific pain of the incision site that lasts longer than two months from the time of the procedure. It is one of the most common experiences after a thoracotomy, and, unfortunately, often goes unreported by patients.
- Respiratory splinting. Pain of either type is a severe stumbling-block to your patients' healing. However, with our respiratory splinting device, Heart Hugger, your patients have the chest support and comfort they need to breathe, move, and cough confidently. This allows them to follow your recommendations and speed the healing process.
Interested in more information on respiratory splinting or Heart Hugger? Contact us today!