Efficiency of treatment of postoperative pain in patients after thoracotomy procedure

Abstract

Aim. The aim of the thesis was to evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative pain treatment in patients after thoracotomy.

Material and methods. The three research methods used included diagnostic survey method, assessment method, and document research method. The study data used descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon test, Pearson Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test. The research comprised seventy patients who underwent lung cancer surgeries at the Independent Specialist Hospital of Pulmonary Diseases in Zakopane.

Results. In the research, 40% of all respondents assessed their satisfaction with postoperative pain treatment at 10 points in the ten-point scale (1-10) and the remaining ones above 6 points. The majority of the tested patients (86%) would decide again for the same type of postoperative analgesia should such a necessity occur. The research demonstrated that among the variables with most significant effect on the effectiveness of postoperative analgesia there are: sex, type of treatment, methods of postoperative analgesia, occurrence of postoperative pain anxiety prior to operation and occurrence of adverse events related to pain treatment, such as nausea, vomiting, and urine retention.

Conclusions. Effective pain treatment requires regular and documented evaluation of the intensity of postoperative pain, recommended by the Polish Society of Pain