Incidence of Chronic Pain After Sternotomy

Chronic postoperative pain is a well-known problem. Chronic postoperative pain is defined as pain that begins following a surgical procedure and persists for more than 2 months without other obvious causes such as infection or underlying disease. Sternotomy causes significant postoperative pain, and patients with chronic pain after sternotomy are often referred to pain clinics. The incidence of chronic pain after sternotomy ranges from 17% to 56%; In approximately one-third of these patients, chronic pain after sternotomy can compromise their quality of life by affecting their sleep patterns and impairing their ability to work. However, epidemiological studies on chronic pain after sternotomy are scarce. The aim of this study is to examine the incidence and possible risk factors of chronic pain following sternotomy operations. In this study, it was aimed to analyze the chronic pain findings of the patients who underwent sternotomy in the postoperative 3rd month.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Postoperative Pain; Postoperative Pain, Acute; Postoperative Pain, Chronic; Sternotomy
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Sternotomy application

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 200

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Ankara
    • Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06290
      • Ankara City Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients between the ages of 18-80 years, in the ASA I-II-III-IV risk group, with a BMI between 18-35 kg/m2 and undergoing sternotomy will be included in the study.

Patients under the age of 18 years and over the age of 80 years, with an ASA score of V and above, with a BMI below 18 kg/m2 and above 35 kg/m2, who were operated under emergency conditions, and who received chronic pain treatment will be excluded from the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 18 and 80 years
• American Society of Anesthesiologists' physical status I-II-III-IV
• Body mass index (BMI) between 18-35 kg/m2
• Patients undergoing elective sternotomy

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of chronic analgesic therapy
• Patients with previous sternotomy surgery
• Patients who were operated under emergency conditions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Chronic pain symptoms at 3rd months.	Chronic pain symptoms will be assessed using the numeric rating scale on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain). Chronic pain symptoms (burning, stabbing, electric shock-like pain, tingling, numbness, pins, and needles feeling, hyperalgesia, allodynia, and hypoesthesia) will also be asked to the patients at the 3rd month after surgery.	Chronic pain symptoms at 3rd month
Quality of life at 3rd months.	It will also be questioned whether the current pain of the patients affects their daily activities. It will be coded as '0 = not at all, 1 = slightly affecting, 2 = very affecting'.	Quality of life at 3rd months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acute pain score	Pain will be assessed at rest and while coughing using the visual analog scale on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain). Pain assessment will be done at the 24th hour after surgery.	At the 24th hour after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ankara City Hospital Bilkent
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nilgün ZENGİN, MD, Ankara City Hospital Bilkent

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 20, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 5, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): February 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 25, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 3, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 6, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Postoperative Complications; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain, Postoperative
• Other Study ID Numbers: E.Kurul-E1-22-2595

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No