A Prospective Observational Study of Chronic Thoracotomy Pain v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Prospective Observational Study of Chronic Thoracotomy Pain at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital: A Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
133627
Contact name
Ahmed Mesbah
Contact email
Research summary
Every year in the UK, around 8500 patients have surgery through the side of the chest (thoracotomy). This is usually done to treat lung cancer and is one of the most painful types of surgery, with patients often developing chronic pain which can last months to years. This pain can be so severe and debilitating that it leads to more frequent GP visits, longer sick leave or even unemployment. There is also evidence that patients with chronic pain are more likely to need long term medication for pain, anxiety and depression. This represents a significant healthcare and economic burden.
This study will investigate how often thoracotomy patients at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital experience chronic pain, its severity and its effect on their quality of life. Participants will be recruited over a 3 month period and interviewed using validated questionnaires designed to quantify chronic pain and its effect on quality of life. They will subsequently be followed-up at both 3 and 6 months after surgery by either post or telephone with the same questionnaires. The findings of this study will aid in quantifying this problem locally and will support a future study comparing the effects of thoracic epidural (a chest level anaesthetic injection) to paravertebral blockade (an anaesthetic injection to one side of the chest) on chronic thoracotomy pain.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/WM/0259
Date of REC Opinion
4 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion