With over 3,000 applications to date, response to the effectiveness of the ABBy from physicians and staff is extremely positive. As the retractor is used in the field, we discover even more benefits to the hospital, clinician and the patient. For example, one physician wrote:
. . . I applied the ABBy to a 32-day post-op patient because her incision remained moist, uncomfortable and [the incision] wasn’t healing. Within seven days of wearing the ABBy, the non-healing wound became a clean, comfortable and dry incision site. No further intervention was necessary. The patient said it was so comfortable, she wore it another week! The decision to apply the ABBy not only made a difference for my patient, it saved me from having to deal with more serious complications and led to a better patient outcome.
Patients, too, are very pleased with their experiences wearing the ABBy. Most patients experience diminished incisional pain immediately upon application of the ABBy. It is very gentle and conforms to all body shapes. It is adjustable, so if there is any discomfort or if the retraction diminishes, it is very easy and painless to adjust. Having worn the device for a week, one post-C-section patient remarked how comfortable it was to sleep in.
“I’m usually a restless sleeper and move a lot during the night, but it never disturbed me at all. It didn’t pinch or pull, or pull on my clothes. It moved with me. It’s so comfortable and it feels so silky. I didn’t want to take it off!”