The following is a summary of “Comparison of post-operative pain and quality of life between total thoracoscopic surgery and conventional full-sternotomy for aortic valve replacement,” published in the November 2023 issue of Cardiology by Lin et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the postoperative pain and quality of life outcomes following total thoracoscopic surgery (TTS) versus conventional full-sternotomy (CFS) for aortic valve replacement (AVR).

They examined the records of 223 consecutive AVR patients with either TTS or CFS (January 2018 – December 2022). Post-operative pain and quality of life were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Additionally, operative data and clinical outcomes between the 2 groups were compared.

The results showed the TTS group exhibited lower adjusted mean VAS scores than the CFS group at all postoperative time points (at 1 to 3 days and at 3 and 6 months, P<.001 for all comparisons), suggesting reduced pain. Up to 6 months after surgery, the TTS group showed higher mean SF-36 scores than the CFS group (P<.001 for all comparisons), indicating better quality of life. Operative time similarity was observed between the two groups (P=.224), although the TTS group had longer cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times than the CFS group (P<.001). The TTS group had more pulmonary complications (P=.023), but no significant differences in major complications or mortality compared to the CFS group.

Investigators concluded that TTS showed reduced pain and improved quality of life for AVR patients, especially early on.

Source: bmccardiovascdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12872-023-03617-w