Patient attitudes to sternotomy and thoracotomy scars.
BACKGROUND
There are no data comparing patient attitudes to sternotomy and thoracotomy scars following surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD).


METHODS
Two hundred and one patients with a scar from CHD surgery (105 sternotomy, 36 thoracotomy, and 60 both scars) had a structured interview to explore attitudes to their scar.


RESULTS
Comparable proportions of each group reported that they did not like or hated their scar (23/105 [22 %] sternotomy, 9/36 [25 %] thoracotomy, 17/60 [28 %] both scars). Significantly more patients stated that they where embarrassed by and/or their choice of clothing was affected by a thoracotomy scar (20/36, 56 %) than those with a sternotomy scar (36/105, 34 %), p = 0.04. This was also seen when comparing sternotomy alone with both scars (36/105 [34 %] vs. 34/60 [57 %], p = 0.008).


CONCLUSIONS
Adults who have undergone surgery for CHD are more likely to have a negative attitude to a thoracotomy than a sternotomy scar. Before a change in surgical approach is considered based on patient preferences, the acceptability and psychological impact of the different scars following surgery needs formal study.
Crossland
D S
DS
Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. davidxland@hotmail.com
Jackson
S P
SP
Lyall
R
R
Hamilton
J R L
JR
Hasan
A
A
Burn
J
J
O'Sullivan
J J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery*; D013908:Thoracotomy