RecruitingACTRN12612000361808

Reduction of sternotomy pain with “self-hug"

In adult patients undergoing a cardiac procedure needing a sternotomy, can “self-hug" reduce post-operative sternotomy pain?

Sponsor

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

Enrollment

40 participants

Start Date

Mar 27, 2012

Study Type

Interventional

Conditions

Pain post sternotomy

Summary

A sternotomy (cut through the breastbone) for heart surgery is associated with some pain. The pain can be increased with activities like mobilisation but also deep breathing and coughing. We intend to assess whether the pain is less with self-hugging the chest (arms around the shoulder pulling them together) compared to the standard method of compression of the chest with the hands crossed over a pillow in front of the chest.

Eligibility

Sex: Both males and femalesMin Age: 20 Yearss

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This study is comparing two ways of supporting the chest to reduce pain after heart surgery through the breastbone (sternotomy). The standard way is to hug a pillow to the chest with crossed arms. The new method being tested is a self-hug — wrapping your arms around your shoulders to pull them together. Researchers will measure how much pain each method causes during activities like deep breathing, coughing, and moving around after surgery. You may be eligible if: - You are 20 years of age or older - You are having heart surgery that requires a cut through the breastbone (sternotomy) You may NOT be eligible if: - You remain in the ICU for more than 2 days after surgery - You need to return to the operating theatre or have a repeat sternotomy - You experience significant confusion after the operation Talk to your doctor about whether this trial might be right for you.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

Standard care is to protect the sternotomy wound with the hands cross in front of the chest with a pillow. From day 2-5 post-operatively all patients in the study are asked to rate the sternotomy pai

Standard care is to protect the sternotomy wound with the hands cross in front of the chest with a pillow. From day 2-5 post-operatively all patients in the study are asked to rate the sternotomy pain with the following 2 manoeuvres. first 3 deep breaths and subsequent coughs with the cross-chest method (support/compression of the sternotomy wound with crossed hands in front of the chest with a pillow) vs 3 deep breaths and subsequent coughs with the "self-hug" method (arms across the chest pulling together the shoulder and shoulder blade pulling with the hands on either side. This is done once in the morning and once in the afternoon. In the afternoon the order is reversed with the "self-hug" method first followed by the cross-chest method.

Locations(1)

Australia

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ACTRN12612000361808