title: [Evaluation of the postoperative acute pain after heart surgery].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pain is one of the main symptoms reported by patients who have had heart surgery.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the pain and explain the possible association among demographics, psychological and biological variables of the patients subjected to heart surgery with pain intensity during the postoperative in the ICU.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive, longitudinal study conducted between February 2008 and January 2009 on patients subjected to heart surgery with admission to the ICU of the Hospital of Navarra was conducted. A preoperatory interview was made with registration of sociodemographic, biological and psychological variables. Pain intensity was monitored during the first 48 hours of ICU stay with the Verbal Numeric Scale (VNS) of pain. Accepted level of significance was p<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A sample of 69 patients with mean age of 62, 26% women and 74% men was included. A superior statistical association was found between postoperative pain levels for age<65 years, bypass grafting with internal mammary artery and preoperatory anxiety variables. There was a significant increase in analgesic consumption for incomes>1400 €/month, bypass grafting with internal mammary artery and preoperatory anxiety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postoperative pain after heart surgery show significant individual variability. In our study, age, bypass grafting with internal mammary artery and preoperatory anxiety were shown as predictive variables of postoperative pain in patients undergoing heart surgery.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos centro A, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. ma.navarro.garcia@navarra.es
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Navarro García
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Irigoyen Aristorena
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Carlos Alegre
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez Oroz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elizondo Sotro
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Indurain Fernández
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sorbet Amóstegui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martorell Gurucharri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Prieto Guembe
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ordoñez Ortigosa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: García Aizpún
mesh_terms: D059787:Acute Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult