• Claudio Marcassa, Marcassa Claudio, Pompilio Faggiano, Faggiano Pompilio, Cesare Greco, Greco Cesare, Marco Ambrosetti, Ambrosetti Marco, Pier Luigi Temporelli, Temporelli Pier Luigi, and Italian Association of Cardiovascular Prevention, Rehabilitation (GICR-IACPR).
• aSalvatore Maugeri Foundation, IRCCS, Division of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Scientific Institute of Veruno (NO) bDivision of Cardiology, Spedali Civili, University of Brescia, Brescia cSan Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital Complex, Division of Cardiology III, Rome dCardiovascular Rehabilitation Unit, Le Terrazze Clinic, Cunardo (VA), Italy.
• J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). 2015 Nov 1; 16 (11): 768-74.

BackgroundThere are limited data on sternotomy as a cause of chronic postsurgical pain, mainly restricted to 1 year after surgery.AimsTo assess the prevalence of chronic post-sternotomy pain and its interference on daily living.MethodsIn three groups of patients, a standardized telephone interview was obtained at 3 months (n = 313), 1 year (n = 313), and 3 years (n = 319) following the rehabilitation program after cardiac surgery, in 11 rehabilitation centers. Presence, site, and the severity and interference of pain on selected daily living items were assessed.ResultsThe prevalence of pain after cardiac surgery was 35.3% in the 3-month group, 26.8% in the 1-year group, and 19.8% in the 3-year group (P < 0.0001). Pain in the 3-year group was rated as moderate to severe in one-third of the patients. In patients aged above 75 years, the prevalence of pain in the 3-month and the 3-year group was nonsignificantly different [34.2 and 29.3%, respectively (NS)]. In the 3-month group, pain was more frequent in the female (51.4%) than in the male patients (31.3%; P < 0.01); in the remaining groups, a comparable prevalence was documented.ConclusionResults form this large, retrospective, multicenter survey indicated that one out of five patients still complain pain at 3 years after cardiac surgery; persistence of pain was more common in the older patients. The approach to management of chronic pain by cardiologists and cardiac surgeons should be improved.

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