Cardiac Surgery, the Incidence and Impact of Chronic postOperative Pain: a Survey
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Chronic Postoperative Pain, Cardiac Surgery. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Belgium
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
This survey study aims to investigate the incidence of Chronic post surgical pain (CPSP) in cardiac surgery patients treated at UZ Leuven. The primary hypothesis is that the incidence of CPSP at 3 months postoperatively is lower than 33%, which is the rate commonly reported in the literature. Secondary objectives include comparing CPSP incidence based on the type of surgical incision, as well as comparing incidences between type of surgery. Finally, the study will assess pain intensity, interference with daily activities, and quality of life of 3 months and when required also at 1 years postoperatively.
Detailed description
Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a significant and under-recognized complication following cardiac surgery, with incidence estimates ranging from 11% to 39% at 6-12 months and persisting in a notable minority for years postoperatively. Recent prospective cohort studies have demonstrated that nearly one in three patients report pain at 3 months, and approximately 15% continue to experience pain at 1 year after cardiac surgery. Long-term follow-up data indicate that up to 10% of patients may have persistentend pain, with substantial impact on health-related quality of life.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses confirm that CPSP after cardiac surgery is common, with moderate to severe pain intensity reported in up to half of affected patients, and neuropathic pain phenotypes are frequently observed. The chest remains the primary location, but pain may also involve the leg, especially in cases with saphenous vein harvesting. Risk factors consistently identified include younger age, female sex, pre-existing chronic pain, preoperative depression or anxiety, high acute postoperative pain scores, and intraoperative factors such as remifentanil infusion and prolonged operative time.
The Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, in its recent practice advisories, emphasizes the importance of multimodal analgesia and individualized pain management strategies to mitigate CPSP risk and improve postoperative outcomes. Despite advances in perioperative care, there remains considerable variability in pain management practices and a lack of consensus guidelines, underscoring the urgent need for further research and standardized approaches. Collectively, these findings establish CPSP after cardiac surgery as a clinically relevant problem with substantial patient and healthcare system burden, justifying the need for rigorous investigation into its mechanisms, risk factors, and preventive strategies.
In the UZ Leuven we have standardized our perioperative care and pain management. The alarming incidence of CPSP is not observed in our center, however, this is possibly due to lack of systematic follow-up. The current study aims to bridge this gap and guide future research within our hospital.
Primary outcome measures
- Incidence of chronic post surgical pain [Time frame: 3 months]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- Chronic post surgical pain [Time frame: 1 year]
- Brief pain inventory (BPI) [Time frame: 3 months]
- Quality of life 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) [Time frame: 3 months]
- Brief pain inventory (BPI) [Time frame: 1 year]
- Quality of life 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) [Time frame: 1 year]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adults, aged ≥ 18 years of age, who underwent cardiac surgery (valvular, coronary bypass, other intracardiac or aortic surgery) during the 1 year recruitment period
- Able to provide informed consent
- Able to respond by telephone
Exclusion criteria
- Deceased
- Refusal
- Chronic pain in the surgical region
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Belgium · 1 center
- University Hospital Leuven — Leuven
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07640646 · S71308