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Your chest. It is easy to convince yourself that you will
‘break open’ after the surgery. Indeed, this is a normal feeling you may
have, but this will not happen. The very fact that your sternum bone, has been literally
cut and opened, is enough to give you this impression and this thought is
actually a re-occuring one, therefore assurance from staff is very helpful in
this and many other areas. You should ask if you have any worries on
anything. As
previously intimated, it is necessary for this to be done so as to be able to
access your heart. Obviously, the surgeon cannot work through the rib cage,
so therefore you need to have it opened to expose the heart. It is clamped
open during the surgery and once finished, the surgeon moves the bones back
to meet and wires them together. Material used for this function is tried and
tested. It is practically impossible for this to ‘come loose’. After about 6
to 8 weeks,(but sometimes much longer) the bones will have knitted together
again and should be as strong as they were before surgery. The wire will stay
in place. Careful movement when getting in and out of bed and during most
other daily functions, will allow the sternum to knit together. |
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The Sternum
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