#qualibreath

QualiBreath is the ideal product for patients who have had a sternotomy or other interventions in the chest. It is a chest surrounding sternum support with integrated handles for increased support available in all sizes for adults, pediatric and infant patients. Heart surgery and other operations in the chest cause soreness in the first days after the operation therefore patients may be reluctant to breathe deeply and to cough - to avoid the discomfort of pain. Yet deep breathing, coughing and early return to normal movement are very important for the patients quick and complication-free recovery. Here are 10 key reasons why sternotomy patients should use QualiBreath:

Dual-functional external chest support Constant lateral support on the sternum and patient-activated reinforcement handles during coughing, sneezing, pain.

Documented positive effect on patient’s entire recovery process Improves sternal stability, pain relief, ease of breathing, comfort, patient function, ease of activities and exercise.

Decreases deep sternal wound infections Documented effect of a firm, constant external support on the chest and sternum.

Keeps the lower lung lobes and the upper abdominal area free Secures unrestricted deep respiration and increased comfort.

Supports the respiratory muscles and relieves pain The firm, elastic material encourages deep breathing and coughing to clear the lungs of atelectasis and secretions.

Compliments the internal closure from the outside Increases the potential for an optimal sternal alignment.

Unmatched comfort Adjustable tension with the ability to loosen or tighten to near rigid state which increases compliance with usage in the hospital and at home.

Important adjunctive recovery treatment Constant “reminder” to the patient that encourages mobilization and exercise of the upper limbs which increases blood supply and stimulates healing of the fractured sternum.

Important psychological aid to put the patient in control of his own recovery Helps the patient to handle responsibility for sternum protection and wound care after discharge.

Decreases health care costs and gives a hospital significant return of investment Prevents sternal infections, decreases postoperative pain and pulmonary complications.

It is with great pleasure that we are exhibiting once again at the upcoming American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) annual meeting from April 26 to 30 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada, where some of the best science in this specialty will be presented.

We will have a gorgeous new booth where we'll show our main products for cardiac and thoracic surgery QualiBreath - Sternum and thorax support, QualiBra Advanced - Breast and sternum support, their accessories, and our other product lines.

Here is a sneak preview of our products in the booth: QualiBreath on the left, QualiBra Advanced on the right and in the middle a video showing the use of QualiBreath.

If you thought QualiBreath is only for sternotomy patients, read this:

The QualiBreath sternum and thorax support is developed to compliment the internal sternum closure from the external side, and to assist with the issues sternotomy patients are faced with after surgery such as difficulties with breathing, coughing and coping with pain.

One of the keys to the efficiency of QualiBreath is the precisely defined elastic material which gives a firm, yet comfortable, constant support to the respiratory muscles and the total thoracic cage. Such support is crucial when breathing hurts, as it does after a sternotomy, - OR after ribs are broken!

Last week we received a mail from a friend that had broken several ribs after an accident and needed some type of support. We chose the QualiBreath for him because of it’s firm, constant, elastic support to the respiratory muscles and the chest, and because it has the option of additional support when using the bar-handles during coughing. We are very pleased that we could help him get relief. See what he said about QualiBreath in a letter:

“Doris, I did a stupid thing Monday last week, and fell out of a tree from which I was removing branches. It was a 5 meter drop. So I have a few broken ribs and a fracture through the tibial plateau. For what I did, I got amazingly minor damage, and there is nothing to do but wait while the fractures heal (and avoid load bearing on the leg). But the most painful thing is the rib fractures especially when I try the deep breathing they wanted me to do to maintain lung function. So I thought of you and QualiBreath..... I confess I was somewhat skeptical about the ability of support garment to limit pain, but it really does. It's not an exaggeration to say I am amazed! So I am really impressed with what you have achieved in the QualiBreath, and wish you all the best with it.... Best Wishes, Bill"

This is not the first experience we have with QualiBreath being an efficient pain reliever for patients with broken ribs. We have many reports of this and a testimony from another one of our friends personal experience published on our web site. Thoracic surgeons, staff in emergency clinics and other health care departments dealing with rib fractures must know what QualiBreath can do for their patients. QualiBreath is an important adjunctive tool for any condition where breathing hurts.

QualiBreath is not just for patients who have had a sternotomy. Patients with rib fractures need it too!

Here are 20 facts that you may or may not know about postoperative recovery after heart surgery and the complications that may arise. These points are extracted from the recently published White Paper from D. Hjorth titled: "Evaluation of external chest supports based on the entire recovery process in and out of the hospital to avoid offset costs of long term complications and medications." Read the White Paper and find the related references here.

Surgical techniques continue to improve, yet the rate of complications after a sternotomy procedure are still significant and stable, and cost the health care system enormous sums.

Statistically, in a hospital performing 1000 annual cases, the incidence of deep sternal wound infections averages at 3 patients per month with a cost of +/- $ 65,000 per case. That is an additional cost of +/- $2.3 mill. annually.

More than half of these complications are diagnosed after discharge.

According to statistics a "1000-annual-cases" hospital has more than 400 patients with pulmonary complications which adds $28,000 per case, and over 300 patients with persistent postoperative pain adding costs of $6,000 per case.

There is no clear agreement on guidelines for postoperative care concerning best breathing and upper limb exercises in the hospital or at home, and recommendations vary from hospital to hospital, from country to country, and there is limited control on how strictly patients follow recommendations after discharge.

The soft tissue heals in 4 to 5 weeks, and the sternum bone takes 6 to 8 weeks to heal.

Patients are discharged as early as possible. This shifts the responsibility for recovery and wound care from the hospital staff to the patients themselves, their family or other caretakers.

When the two sternal halves are retracted to opposite sides during the surgery, it will cause considerable strain on the anatomy of the chest, back, shoulders and neck, and result in musculoskeletal and neurological complaints.

Pain causes reluctance to breathe deeply and to cough which impedes a proper lung clearance for atelectasis and secretions. Pain slows down early mobilisation and exercise of the upper limbs which in turn slows down the blood supply to the fractured sternum.

Patients may not receive sufficient pain medication due to their concern for addiction, and staff may not offer pain medication out of standard regimes if patients do not ask.

A successful recovery depends on how clearly patients are instructed, have understood the instructions, and what tools they have available to assist their daily day activities at home.

An external chest support which firmly, comfortably compliments the internal sternal closure, relieves pain and assists respiratory exercises, can only increase the odds for an optimal alignment of the two sternal halves and a complication-free healing of the sternum.

The decision to choose a specific device must be based on how it can improve the patient’s entire recovery process, and how comfortable it is to use in order to secure patient compliance with usage in the hospital and at home for up to 8 weeks.

QualiBreath and QualiBra Advanced are the only dual-functional devices. They give a constant, firm, lateral support on the sternum, and have a patient-activated additional circumferential support for coughing, sneezing and other painful situations.

All other external chest support devices are single-functional, and are either a constant chest compression device, or a patient-activated cough support device.

Single-functional devices with patient-activated cough support have no constant effect on the sternum, pain or respiration, and can only assist with coughing if the patient reacts in time.

Single-functional devices with a constant compression on the chest have no extra means of support for coughing, and must fit extremely tight to counteract the sudden high internal pressure during coughing and/or sneezing, which make these devices extremely uncomfortable and painful to use for the patients.

A firm, constant support on the chest has been shown to decrease deep sternal wound infections in several external chest devices. If such device decreases deep sternal wound infections but has no effect on superficial sternal infections and causes discomfort, pain and restrains activities, the cost savings are most likely to be offset by other complications and long term medications.

QualiBreath is the only device that has been documented to have a positive effect on sternal instability, pain relief, ease of breathing, comfort, patient function, ease of activities and exercise.

QualiBreath and QualiBra Advanced, which incorporates a mini-QualiBreath, are the most comfortable, effective external chest and breast supports available, and are an important adjunctive method to assist the healing sternum, prevent sternal infections, decrease postoperative pain and pulmonary complications, and ultimately decrease health care costs.

When you consider these important facts and that every publication on the clinical use of a variety of external chest supports have revealed significant advantages, it is puzzling why external chest supports are not included routinely in postoperative care to improve recovery, avoid complications and decrease related health care costs.

QualiBreath decreases the sternal gap in patients with an unstable sternum, and improves their discomfort, pain, feeling of support, ease of breathing and their ability to function!

This is the conclusion in a study from Australia by Doa El-Ansary et al., where they compared the QualiBreath sternum support, called “Adjustable Fastening Brace” in the article, to an elastic compression binder, and sports tape - used to control sternal instability.

Control of Separation in Sternal Instability by Supportive Devices: A Comparison of an Adjustable Fastening Brace, Compression Garment, and Sports Tape  Doa El-Ansary, PhD, Gordon Waddington, PhD, Roger Adams, PhD.  Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2008;89:1775-81.

You can find the full article here: http://www.archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(08)00399-7/fulltext

The authors wrote: “The wearing of a brace (QualiBreath) may counter the lateral forces that result from rises in intra-thoracic pressures on coughing and the torsional forces that result from mobilization, upper-limb movements, and mobility transfers.”

The authors also had this to say about external chest support devices: “….supportive devices have been reportedly designed to reduce sternal pain, prevent wound breakdown and sternal instability.” …and ….. “The rationale for the use of these devices is that they provide circumferential support and resistance to increases in intra-thoracic pressure that may result in distractive forces on the sternum during activities of daily living. They may also act to complement the parasternal muscles (intercostals, sternalis, transverse thoracis) and muscles of the anterior abdominal wall, which are thought to play a role in the stabilization of the thoracic cage.”

El-Ansary et al. evaluated the effects of upper limb exercises on sternal separation in patients with sternal instability while wearing either QualiBreath, sports tape, an elastic compression binder or no support at all. The sternal separation was measured using ultrasound.

Routine active range of shoulder motion exercises, typically used by physiotherapists for patients after cardiac surgery, were used as well as unilateral arm elevation with and without a weight, and bilateral arm elevation with and without a weight. Two functional tasks were evaluated too: pushing up from a chair and flexion at the elbow against an elasticised rubber band with a low to moderate resistance performed unilaterally and bilaterally.

Furthermore patients were asked to rate comfort, pain, feeling of support, ease of upper-limb movement, and ease of breathing in the resting period after the exercises with each mode of intervention.

QualiBreath (Adjustable Fastening Brace) showed the best results in all measurements.

Here is what the authors said: “Results from the implementation of a set of  supportive devices for patients with chronic sternal instability consistently favored the use of an adjustable fastening brace (QualiBreath), which reduced the amount of sternal separation by one fifth. Measures tended to improve with  the amount of support offered by the device (QualiBreath)."

The patients ratings on the ability to perform arm activities, discomfort, pain, feeling of support, and ease of breathing also consistently gave the best results to QualiBreath. Furthermore almost all patients said they would have elected to use a brace immediately after surgery.

The authors suggested to perform a new study with QualiBreath used directly after surgery, and said: “The positive findings here regarding the effects of supportive devices on reported pain and ease of performance of everyday functional tasks in patients with sternal instability suggest that future studies should examine the use of supportive devices in the period immediately after cardiac surgery for their effect on both pain and sternal integrity.”

Logic says: If QualiBreath is shown to decrease the sternal gap in patients with  an unstable sternum, and improve their discomfort, pain, feeling of support, ease of breathing and their ability to function, then the probability for QualiBreath to do the same for patients immediately after cardiac surgery is very high.