Post-operative pain in patients after thoracic and abdominal surgery

Abstract

Postoperative pain is a feeling of discomfort experienced by most patients who undergo abdominal and thoracic surgery. The aim of this study was to assess postoperative pain in patients submitted to abdominal and thoracic surgery, at a referral hospital for emergency and urgent care in the city of Imperatriz – MA. The extension project, entitled Breathing Exercises Education Project: Promoting Health Education for Professionals and Clients in Pre- and Postoperative Nursing (BEEP), was conducted at the Federal University of Maranhão (FUMA). The BEEP program develops activities in health education involving the application of breathing exercises. However, a limiting factor for performing the breathing exercises is the pain experienced by the patients. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 37 adult patients of both sexes, submitted to abdominal and thoracic surgery. Data collection used a semi-structured questionnaire prepared by the BEEP team, containing socio-cultural data and the level of pain experienced according to the Verbal Numeric Scale. The data obtained with the Verbal Numeric Scale showed that 27.03% of the patients suffered from severe postoperative pain. The findings indicated that pain was an important influence on the patients’ general condition and compromised their efficiency of extension.