Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-7764
Authors: Laufenberg-Feldmann, Rita
Kappis, Bernd
Mauff, Susanne
Schmidtmann, Irene
Ferner, Marion
Title: Prevalence of pain 6 months after surgery : a prospective observational study
Online publication date: 14-Sep-2022
Year of first publication: 2016
Language: english
Abstract: Background Pain after surgery is a major issue for patient discomfort and often associated with delayed recovery. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of pain and requirement for analgesics up to 6 months after elective surgery, independent if new pain symptoms occurred after surgery or if preoperative pain persisted in the postoperative period. Methods A prospective observational single center cohort study was conducted between January 2012 and August 2013. Eligible patients were scheduled to undergo elective surgical interventions including joint (hip, knee arthroplasty), back (nucleotomy, spondylodesis), or urological surgery (cystectomy, prostatectomy, nephrectomy). Pain was assessed on an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) before, on postoperative day 2 and 6 months after surgery. Clinical information was collected with structured questionnaires and by telephone interview. Results Six hundred and forty-four patients gave informed consent, including 54.4 % men (mean age 62.2, SD 14.3). Higher preoperative pain scores were found in patients undergoing joint (mean 7.6; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 7.2–8.0) and back surgery (mean 7.1, CI: 6.8–7.5) than in patients prior to urological surgery (mean 2.3; CI: 1.8–2.8). After 6 months, about 50 % of patients after joint or back surgery indicated pain levels ≥3/10, compared to 15.9 % of patients after urological surgery (p < .001). 35.3 % of the patients after joint surgery and 41.3 % after back surgery still use pain medication 6 months postoperatively, in contrast to 7.3 % of patients after urological surgery. 13.6 % of patients who underwent back surgery indicated the regular intake of opioids. Conclusions Our results reveal that a significant percentage of patients undergoing procedures in joint or back surgery still need pain medication up to 6 months postoperatively due to ongoing pain symptoms. Improved monitoring of pain management is warranted, especially after discharge from hospital, to improve long-term results.
DDC: 610 Medizin
610 Medical sciences
Institution: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department: FB 04 Medizin
Place: Mainz
ROR: https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-7764
Version: Published version
Publication type: Zeitschriftenaufsatz
License: CC BY
Information on rights of use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal: BMC anesthesiology
16
1
Pages or article number: Art. 91
Publisher: BioMed Central
Publisher place: S.l.
Issue date: 2016
ISSN: 1471-2253
Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12871-016-0261-7
Publisher DOI: 10.1186/s12871-016-0261-7
Appears in collections:DFG-OA-Publizieren (2012 - 2017)

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