Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery versus Sternotomy - Pain Investigation

Abstract Background: Treatment of postoperative (PO) pain is essential after surgery, as it contributes to a faster rehabilitation. Assessment of PO pain after minimally invasive (MI) surgery has not been regularly addressed, especially when compared with median sternotomy (MS). Objective: This study aims to evaluate the intensity of thoracic pain in the PO period in patients subjected to MI surgery and MS. Methods: This study compared the intensity of thoracic pain in 34 patients subjected to minimally invasive (MI; n = 17) and median sternotomy (MS; n = 17) from June 2015 to June 2016. The intensity and sites of pain in the PO period, assessed using the visual numeric pain scale, and the need for pain medications were analyzed using the Student’s t-test and the z test, with confidence level of 95% (p