• Gisela Roca, Sergi Sabate, Ancor Serrano, María Carmen Benito, María Pérez, Miren Revuelta, Ana Lorenzo, Jordi Busquets, Gema Rodríguez, David Sanz, Anabel Jiménez, Ana Parera, Francisco de la Gala, and Antonio Montes.
• Pain Unit, Department of Anesthesiology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Spain.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2024 Sep 4.

Study ObjectiveTo determine the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) in women after open thoracotomy. Secondary objectives were to compare relevant patient and procedural variables between women and men.DesignObservational cohort study.SettingTen university-affiliated hospitals.SubjectsNinety-six women and 137 men.InterventionsScheduled open thoracotomy.MeasurementsPain histories, psychological measures, and perceived health status and catastrophizing scores were obtained. The diagnosis of chronic postsurgical pain was by physical examination at 4 months. Standard preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were also recorded.Main ResultsThe chronic postsurgical pain incidence was significantly higher in women (53.1%) than in men (38.0%) (p = 0.023). At baseline, women had significantly worse scores on psychological measures (perception of mental state [p = 0.01], depression [p = 0.006], and catastrophizing [p < 0.001]). Women also reported more preoperative pain in the operative area (p = 0.011) and other areas (p = 0.030).ConclusionThese findings show that the incidence of physician-diagnosed chronic postsurgical pain is higher in women than in men after surgeries involving thoracotomy. Sex and gender should be included in future clinical research on pain in surgical settings.Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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