New bra designed by specialist nurses helps wound healing after heart surgery

Specialist nurses have created a new bra to promote wound healing in women who have had heart surgery

Research has shown women are more likely to experience surgical site infection because ill-fitting bras can result in pressures sores and a lack of support can cause the wound to gape.

Clinical nurse specialist Melissa Rochon and her team at Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust have worked with medical manufacturer CUI to create a new post-operative bra to combat the problem.

The new bra has side support to reduce medial-lateral tension on the wound, and adjustable fastenings to allow room for different sized wound dressings and fluid gain following surgery.

The trust said there was a ‘significant reduction’ in surgical site infection during a trial of the bra.

‘We know that a well-fitting bra will promote good wound healing and reduce the risk of damage to the new incision and underband area for the weeks following ’ Ms Rochon said.

‘Existing post-surgery bras with removal straps were available only up to a D cup. Fluid weight gain is typically associated with heart surgery and around 50% of women need this size or bigger after their operation.

‘Unfortunately this means that women often go without a bra after surgery, or wear an unsuitable or badly fitting one, leading to discomfort and increased risk of pressure ulcers.’

The bras are being used at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, and Ms Rochon said teams from other hospitals had already expressed interest in offering them to their own patients.

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