Sternum Stabilization

When a loved one has had heart surgery, it can be a frightening time for both the patient and for you. There are a lot of things that your loved one will simply not be able to do for a while. There are also many types of support your loved one will need to get through the heart surgery recovery period. It's important to be there for your loved one so that this time goes smoothly.

If you're researching information related to heart surgery and recovery, you've likely come across mentions of heart pillows (also known as chest or cough pillows). For years, these pillows have been standard issue in many hospitals for patients recovering from heart surgery or sternotomies. The traditional thinking was that heart pillows could provide comfort and support when patients needed to cough, sneeze, or manage pain.

Complications after heart surgery aren't just bad news for patients—they also impact hospitals. Wound complications in a patient can be devastating financially for hospitals, especially when handling Medicare and co-morbid patients.

The number of heart-related surgeries has increased in recent years.  However, the recovery time and risk of potential postoperative complications remain the same. Healthcare professionals are increasingly turning to sternum support devices to reduce some of the risks of complications. This relatively simple device helps patients to recover quicker and experience fewer issues.

Heart Hugger provides sternum stabilization, allowing patients to avoid potential complications and a safe and early return to normal respiratory levels.

Protecting the Sternum

During the heart surgery recovery period, it's critical to protect the sternal closure. The four basic principles to bone fracture management apply to cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

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.

The patients who undergo heart surgery are susceptible to a host of complications that can set in during their stay in the hospital. When any of these happen, it can cause enormous problems for the hospital. To keep that from happening, there are a few steps you can take for patients and hospital safety.

Preventing Patient Infections

One of the most-feared complications after heart surgery is an infection setting in. The degree of seriousness can vary greatly, ranging from a small infection that causes discomfort to massive infection that puts the patient's life in danger.

As you develop relationships with your patients, as a doctor or nurse, you have to consider every aspect of their care, while also considering your medical institution's best interest. As you go through the process of your patient's care, you will want to consider the process of recovery. Each patient will recover differently, but there are recovery aids which could benefit your patients in a big way.

In today's world, we have a lot of questions and three times as many answers. Sometimes, that's a good thing. We can get second (and third) opinions on just about anything. We can get the same information from a variety of perspectives. We can choose how to solve problems because the power of technology and modern study has afforded us the ability to decide on the best option instead of the only option. However, more choices can also mean more confusion. How can anyone know if they're making the best possible choice when there are so many possibilities? The key is to get all of the information, study the facts, and then, ultimately, trust your instincts--and this is especially true when making patient care decisions.

As we know, properly stabilizing the chest after injury or surgery is incredibly important. This is because of how important the chest itself is; without strong support and protection, everything from breathing to a normal heart rate can be affected, and all of it comes at a steep price to the patient's comfort and healing progress. Yes, sternum stabilization is crucial--but when a patient has broken ribs, sternum stabilization becomes even more important.