Heart Hugger
Heart Hugger Eases Pain of Medicare’s Decision to No Longer Cover Hospital Errors
Los Gatos, Ca (March 2009) ‐ Mediastinitis is just one of the Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) that Medicare
will no longer cover starting in financial year 2009. Heart Hugger, Sternum Support Harness can help prevent
this and other complications after Open Heart Surgery, Heart Surgery Recovery and Heart Surgery Length of Stay.
Heart Hugger can help hospitals save money by reducing the chance of infection and post operative complications. Without sternal support so u don’t have Sternal Instability or Sternal Debridement, patients often lack the confidence to continue with respiratory therapy exercises and coughing due to extreme pain. This results in longer hospital stays and increased complication rates, which will now be paid for by Hospitals, not Medicare. In addition, Heart Hugger is
Medicare approved and FDA classified.
Until recently, methods used to attempt sternal stability following a sternotomy have been folded sheets, towels, pillows and even stuffed animals. These methods provide no encircling support to the rib cage, are unavailable to the patient when moving, and provide no lateral support to stabilize the wound and prevent dehiscence. Not to mention that these outdated methods can easily fall to the floor, inviting infectious bacteria back to the wound.
Heart Hugger solves these problems by taking a completely different approach. Heart Hugger consists of a harness fitted over the shoulders with a four inch wide belt around the chest, finished with handles on either end. Worn over clothing, the belt is adjusted to center the handles over the sternal wound, the patient's hand width apart. Squeezing the handles together tightens the chest belt, supporting the chest wall and stabilizing the sternal wound. Also, because the support is worn over patient’s clothes, there is no risk of dropping it and there are no limitations for use during ambulation. For more info please visit following links Sternum Support Harness,
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
