Determination of the Frequency and Affecting Factors of Chronic Postsurgical Pain After Cardiac Surgery (CPSP-Cardiac): Protocol for a Multicenter, Observational Study

This multicenter study aims to investigate the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) after cardiac surgery, exploring the influence of various factors and their implications on patients' quality of life. The CPSP-Cardiac is a large, multicenter, observational study. The target population of 1176 cardiac surgery patients will be recruited from participating hospital sites. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery with median sternotomy for coronary surgery and all open-heart procedures will be eligible for the study. Patients between the ages of 18–80 years who have an American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status score of II–III will be included. The primary outcome of our study is to determine the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain in the third month following cardiac surgery, along with identifying the factors that influence it. Our secondary outcomes include assessing opioid consumption in the first 24 hours postoperatively, NRS scores, incidences of postoperative nausea and vomiting, side effects and complications, extubation time, length of stay in the intensive care unit and hospital, chronic pain status at 3 and 6 months, psychological assessments, quality of life, and postoperative complications at 3 and 6 months.