Comparison of post-operative pain and quality of life between total thoracoscopic surgery and conventional full-sternotomy for aortic valve replacement

To compare the post-operative pain and quality of life of patients who underwent total thoracoscopic surgery (TTS) or conventional full-sternotomy (CFS) for aortic valve replacement (AVR). We reviewed the records of 223 consecutive AVR patients with either TTS or CFS from January 2018 to December 2022. We used a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) to measure the post-operative pain and quality of life, respectively. We also compared the operative data and clinical outcomes between the two groups. The TTS group had lower adjusted mean VAS scores than the CFS group at all time points after surgery (at 1 to 3 days and at 3 and 6 months, p