Rheumatic symptoms after cardiac surgery: a prospective study.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Rheumatology
• Post-Surgical Complications

Background:

• Open heart surgery can lead to various post-operative complications.
• Shoulder pain is a frequently reported symptom in patients recovering from cardiac procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively investigate the incidence and characteristics of shoulder pain after open heart surgery.
• To differentiate postpericardiotomy rheumatism from other post-cardiac surgery syndromes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 101 patients undergoing open heart surgery.
• Assessment of rheumatic symptoms, shoulder pain, and shoulder function.
• Laboratory tests including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP).
• Immunological tests for antibodies to cardiac muscle.
• Follow-up via postal questionnaire to determine symptom duration.

Main Results:

• 45 out of 101 patients developed rheumatic symptoms within six weeks.
• 38 patients reported shoulder girdle pain without functional loss (postpericardiotomy rheumatism).
• Postpericardiotomy rheumatism was not linked to elevated ESR or CRP.
• Symptoms persisted for over three months in 18 patients and six months or longer in 14.
• Immunological tests were inconclusive.

Conclusions:

• Postpericardiotomy rheumatism is a significant cause of shoulder pain following open heart surgery.
• This condition should be considered in differential diagnosis to prevent misdiagnosis as angina.
• Long-term persistence of symptoms is common, impacting patient recovery.