Dysesthesia Study After Sternotomy

Chronic pain associated to sternotomy occurs in 40 to 50% of patients after cardiac surgery. 33 to 66% of these patients suffer during 3 month and 25 to 33% have postoperative pain for at least 1 year. This pain has often negative effects on daily activity. Despite its frequency and importance, the etiology of this chronic pain is not completely understood. The goal of this study is to understand the mechanism of this chronic pain, to prevent and/or to treat better in the future. The sensitivity of the thorax after cardiac surgery seems to follow a dynamic evolution which can be observed within several weeks. Therefore we decided to study this evolution. This study is different from previous ones observing the sensitivity of the thorax at a well defined moment immediately after the surgery.