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.