Does the pain disturb the respiratory function after open heart surgery?

Area of Science:

• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Pain Management

Background:

• Postoperative pain is a common complication following open-heart surgery.
• Limited research exists on the correlation between pain and respiratory function after these procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate pain intensity and location in patients after elective cardiac surgery.
• To determine the impact of this pain on pulmonary function during hospitalization.

Main Methods:

• Pulmonary function (lung volumes, respiratory pressures, peak expiratory flow) was measured preoperatively and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 5.
• Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analogue scale.
• Measurements were taken using a ventilometer, manovacuometer, and peak flow meter.

Main Results:

• Pain was most frequently reported at the sternotomy incision (50%) and was most intense on postoperative day 1 (mean visual scale score of 8.32).
• All measured pulmonary variables decreased postoperatively compared to baseline values.
• Respiratory variables remained lower than preoperative levels on postoperative day 5, except for respiratory rate. A negative correlation was found between pain and maximal inspiratory pressure on postoperative day 1 (P = 0.019).

Conclusions:

• Postoperative pain following cardiac surgery diminishes lung function, particularly by limiting deep inspirations.
• Pain management is essential in the early postoperative period to facilitate pulmonary recovery.