• G Ozalp, R Sarioglu, G Tuncel, K Aslan, and N Kadiogullari.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Ankara Oncology Hospital, Turkey. gulcinozalp@yahoo.com
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2003 Jan 1;47(1):26-9.

BackgroundThe present study examined the relationship between psychological variables, including anxiety, depression, and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) use in patients who underwent radical mastectomy.MethodsNinety-nine ASA I-II women with breast cancer between 18 and 60 years scheduled for modified radical mastectomy completed the state scale of the state-trait anxiety inventory and the Beck depression inventory before the day of surgery. Standard general anesthesia, surgery, and IV-PCA therapy was conducted. Postoperative ratings of pain intensity, opioid consumption and satisfaction with PCA were recorded for the first 24 h on the ward. The degree of pain intensity was evaluated by a visual analog scale (VAS, 1-10). Satisfaction with pain control was reported using an five-point scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied).ResultsThe pain intensity, total analgesic consumption and dose/demand ratio were significantly related to preoperative anxiety and depression (P<0.05). Degree of dissatisfaction with PCA was significantly correlated with preoperative anxiety and depression (P<0.01).ConclusionPatients with higher anxiety and depression levels had higher postoperative pain and analgesic requirements in this study.

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