The effect of postoperative incision pain on lung capacity (inspiratory capacity) of the patients undergone open heart surgery

Objective: The present study has been performed descriptively in order to determine the effects of incision pain on lung capacity after open heart surgery. Materials and Methods: The study included 40 patients undergone open heart surgery in Special Acıbadem International Hospital between the dates of 7 August 2015 – 4 May 2016 upon their permission. Patient Identification and Lung Capacity Form and Numeric Pain Rating Scale were used as the Data collection Tool. The data were collected by face to face interviews with the patients included in the study and recording the inspiratory capacity to the forms. The evaluation of the data made with SPSS 22.0 in computer environment. The descriptive data of the patients were evaluated as mean, standard deviation, median, minimum, maximum, frequency and ratio. Normal distribution of the data was measured with Kolmogorov smirnov test. In the analysis of the repetitive measurement, Wilcoxon test was used. In the Correlation analysis, Spearman correlation analysis was used. The confidence interval of the results was %95; the significancy was p<0.05. Findings: It was found out that %67,5 of the patients were male, %37,5 was female and between the ages of 60-69; %90 was married, %50 was graduated from primary school, %60 did not smoke, %30 had hypertension and diabetes, %90 underwent coronary artery by-pass graft (CABG) operation. There was significant (p<0.05) negative correlation between the hour 8 visuel analogue scale (VAS) score and inspiratory capacity of the patients. There was no significant (p>0.05) correlation between hour 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and day 4, 5 and day 6 VAS score and inspiratory capacity. Results: This study revealed that the incision pain after open heart surgery had effect on lung (inspiratory) capacity. It was recommended that both nurses and all the health care staff should be trained on theory and practice level regarding the postoperative pain management. Key words: Open heart surgery, lung capacity, incision pain.