Evaluation of the effect of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery on early postoperative pain and quality of life

Abstract

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is more advantageous than open surgery. In particular, VATS is superior in terms of pain, physical functioning, and overall patient satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors affecting early postoperative pain and quality of life in patients who underwent VATS for benign or malignant disease. Materials and Methods: Seventy-seven patients who underwent VATS in our hospital between March 1 and June 30, 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. Postoperative pain was assessed at 2, 6, and 24 hours postoperatively using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The short-form 36 (SF-36) quality of life questionnaire was used to assess early quality of life. Results: Of the 74 patients in the study, 50 were male (67.6%) and 24 were female (32.4%). Mean VAS score was 6.84 ± 1.63 at postoperative hour 2, 4.19 ± 1.36 at postoperative hour 6, and 2.58 ± 1.20 at postoperative day 1. Geriatric patients had significantly higher VAS pain scores at postoperative hour 6 and day 1 (p = 0.011, p = 0.013). Patients with benign disease had significantly higher quality of life compared to patients with malignancy (p < 0.001). The presence of complications and advanced age were associated with lower postoperative quality of life. Conclusions: Although VATS patients have less severe pain and better quality of life in the early postoperative period, patients with malignancy had worse physical, psychological, and emotional state. In addition, geriatric patients and patients with early postoperative complications showed larger decreases in early postoperative quality of life.

The effect of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation on chronic postoperative pain and long-term quality of life

“…In our previous study using video-assisted thoracoscopy, lowering early-stage postoperative pain significantly increased the quality of life. [ 23 ] These findings indicate that inhibiting early-stage pain prevents chronic neuropathic pain, which is the most important factor in improving quality of life. In our study, we used Jensen et al's[ 13 ] pain and life quality scale to evaluate patients in the first week postoperatively.…”