Medical Study by Multiple UK Hospitals Says Posthorax Vest Helps Healing
The vest far more effective than bandages
An extensive review of 116 medical papers was carried out to determine if external medical devices are effective at reducing deep sternal (breastbone) wound complications after open-heart surgery.
It was discovered that they do, and that devices such as the Posthorax support vest are “far more effective” than elastic devices such as bandages.
The study was conducted specifically regarding the median sternotomy procedure, which is the most widely used procedure for open heart surgery. In a median sternotomy, the cardiac surgeon cuts the sternum (breastbone) in half and then opens up the rib cage to gain full access to the chest organs. It is an extremely effective procedure in itself. But the healing process can lead to complications.
Deep sternal wounds are a leading cause of cardiac patients needing re-operation. These operations lead to lengthier stays in hospital and, often, increased periods of pain for the convalescing patient. With the increase in pain comes the increasing need for additional medication. This in itself can further slow down healing, resulting in a hamster-wheel of complications followed by furthe need for medical treatment which in turn can lead to further complications… The study concluded that “early poststernotomy use of an external non-elastic sternal support device reduces overall sternal wound complications and may reduce the hospital length of stay.”
Special thanks for the study goes to William Tsanga, Amit Modib, Ishtiaq Ahmedb, Sunil K. Ohric; The University of Manchester Medical School, Manchester, UK; Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, UK; Wessex Cardiothoracic Centre, Southampton University Hospitals, Southampton, UK. Sources:
Tsang W, Modi A, Ahmed I, Ohri SK. Do external support devices reduce sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery? Interact CardioVasc Thorac Surg 2016; doi:10.1093/icvts/ivw270