Caring for Patients

Helping Heal a Fractured Sternum

Posted by on June 8, 2017

Healing a broken bone often seems easier than recovering from heart surgery, but maybe they're not so different after all. They might even have more in common than we realize. There are a set of conventions and steps for treating a broken bone--can the same procedure be used to speed the cardiac rehab process?

How to Comfort Someone Before Their Open Heart Surgery

Posted by on October 27, 2015

No matter how young or old you are, surgery is a scary thing. If you're the friend, close relative or even nurse of someone about to go in for surgery, how do you comfort and reassure them? It isn't always obvious!

But It's Simple

We think of comforting words like "it'll be okay" as a bit useless. They're simply not. Put yourself in the place of your friend or relative. They're nervous, trying not to think about it, but still trying to prepare. They might like to hear encouraging words like:

Pages

Your shopping cart is empty.

"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,
"I strongly believe that the support harness has played the major role in preventing sternal wound separation."

David G. Eilertson, M.D.

Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery,
"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.
"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,
"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,
"...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,
"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,
"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,
"It gave me more confidence to do things on my own. I should've bought it sooner."

Laura P.
"They were impressed when I showed them how it worked and how I did not feel the pain when doing breathing exercises."

James B.

Top