After open-heart surgery, recovering patients need to cough to remove phlegm from their lungs as well as open the air sacs at the bottom of the lungs. To help relieve the pain and pressure that coughing, laughing, and sneezing creates on the stitched wound, the patient typically squeezes a towel or pillow against their chest. The Cardiac Bear is stuffed very firmly for this purpose and offers a more effective yet fun alternative.
