Chronic postsurgical pain in patients 5 years after cardiac surgery: A prospective cohort study

Background Chronic postsurgical pain ( CPSP ) is a common complication after many surgical procedures, including cardiac surgery. The prevalence of CPSP after cardiac surgery ranges from 9.5% to 56%. Most studies on CPSP after cardiac surgery are retrospective and long‐term prospective studies are scarce. The aim of this study was to follow CPSP and health‐related quality of life ( HRQOL ) prospectively in a cohort of patients, emphasizing the prevalence from 12 months to 5 years. Methods A total of 534 patients (23% ≥75 years, 67% men) were consecutively included before surgery. Study‐specific questionnaires and the Brief Pain Inventory ( BPI ) were used to measure CPSP at baseline, 12 months and 5‐year follow‐up. Short‐Form Health Survey ( SF ‐36) was used to measure HRQOL . Results Among 458 patients who were alive after 5 years, 82% responded ( n  = 373). The majority, 89.8% (335/373), did not report CPSP , neither 12 months nor 5 years after surgery. Among the 38 patients who reported CPSP after 12 months, 24 (63%) patients did not report CPSP after 5 years. The overall prevalence of CPSP after 5 years was 3.8% (14/373). Patients reporting CPSP and resolved CPSP had lower scores on HRQOL and more pain preoperatively than patients who did not report CPSP . Conclusions The prevalence of CPSP was lower in this study than previously reported. Among the patients reporting CPSP at 12 months, 63% did not report CPSP after 5 years. Hence, the observed decline in CPSP is in line with studies evaluating CPSP in noncardiac surgery. Significance The prevalence of chronic postsurgical pain ( CPSP ) at 5 years after surgery of 3.8% is lower than previously reported. The majority of patients reporting CPSP after 12 months did not report CPSP after 5 years.