Sleep quality after autologous breast reconstruction

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of human health and well-being, but is often interrupted in a hospital setting. Especially after surgery, poor sleep quality can negatively affect postoperative recovery and quality of life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain insights into the quality of sleep in patients after autologous breast reconstruction and evaluate factors associated with the quality of sleep.

In this single-center observational cohort study, participants completed a sleep diary, including the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and EQ-5D-5L quality of life questionnaire, before surgery, during hospital admission, and two weeks and three months postoperative. Additional variables such as pain and anesthesia duration were collected.

Twenty-nine patients were included. Before the surgery, 58% of them experienced poor quality of sleep, with a median PSQI score of 5.0. During hospital admission, 83% of the patients had poor quality of sleep, with a PSQI score of 6.0. The PSQI score two weeks postoperative increased to 7.0 and decreased three months postoperative to 5.0. Patients with pain scores >4 ("pain" group), had higher median PSQI scores than patients with pain scores ≤4 ("no pain" group) at all postoperative time points previously mentioned. No correlation was observed between anesthesia duration or quality of life.

Poor sleep quality was experienced by most women after autologous breast reconstruction, especially in those with higher postoperative pain scores. This knowledge offers an opportunity to improve the postoperative care for such patients.