BACKGROUND Traditionally, physical movement has been limited for cardiac surgery patients, up to 12-weeks post-operatively. Patients are asked to use "standard sternal precautions," restricting their arm movement, and thereby limiting stress on the healing sternum. AIM To compare return to function, pain/discomfort, wound healing, use of pain medication and antibiotics, and post-operative length of hospital stay in cardiac surgery patients having median sternotomy who used standard sternal precautions or Keep Your Move in the Tube movement protocols post-operatively. METHODS A quasi-experimental design was used (100 standard sternal precautions and 100 Keep Your Move in the Tube patients). Patients were followed in person or by telephone over a period of 12-weeks postoperatively. Outcomes were measured at day 7, as well as weeks 4, 8, and 12 weeks. RESULTS The majority of participants (77% in each group) were male and had coronary artery bypass graft surgery (66% standard sternal precautions and 72% Keep Your Move in the Tube). Univariate analysis revealed the standard sternal precautions group had lesser ability to return to functional activities than the Keep Your Move in the Tube group (p<0.0001) over time. This difference was minimized however, by week 12. Multivariate analysis revealed that increasing age, body mass index, and female sex were associated with greater functional impairment over time, but no difference between standard sternal precautions and Keep Your Move in the Tube groups. CONCLUSIONS Keep Your Move in the Tube, a novel patient-oriented movement protocol, has potential for cardiac surgery patients to be more confident and comfortable in their recovery.

中文翻译：

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胸骨切开术后“管内”：一项准实验研究

背景技术传统上，心脏手术患者的身体运动一直受到限制，最多可在术后 12 周内进行。患者被要求使用“标准胸骨预防措施”，限制他们的手臂运动，从而限制对愈合胸骨的压力。目的 比较使用标准胸骨预防措施或 Keep Your Move in the Tube 运动方案的胸骨正中切开术心脏手术患者的功能恢复、疼痛/不适、伤口愈合、止痛药和抗生素的使用以及术后住院时间术后。方法 使用准实验设计（100 名标准胸骨预防措施和 100 名在管中保持移动的患者）。患者在术后 12 周内亲自或通过电话进行随访。在第 7 天以及第 4 周、第 8 周和第 8 周测量结果 和 12 周。结果 大多数参与者（每组 77%）是男性，接受了冠状动脉搭桥手术（66% 的标准胸骨预防措施和 72% 的保持在管内移动）。单变量分析显示，随着时间的推移，标准胸骨预防组恢复功能活动的能力低于保持你在管中移动的能力 (p<0.0001)。然而，到第 12 周，这种差异已最小化。多变量分析显示，随着时间的推移，年龄、体重指数和女性性别的增加与更大的功能障碍相关，但标准胸骨预防措施和保持管内移动组之间没有差异。结论 Keep Your Move in the Tube 是一种新的以患者为导向的运动方案，它有可能让心脏手术患者在康复过程中更加自信和舒适。