The Impact of Regional Anesthesia on Open Heart Surgery: A Comprehensive Academic Assessment

Background: Open heart surgery can be significantly impacted by regional anesthesia. By effectively lowering pain before and following surgery, regional anesthesia can lessen the need of systemic painkillers and the possible negative consequences of such drugs. Objective: The present article delineates the impact of regional anaesthesia on the surgical outcomes of patients who have undergone open heart surgery. Methods: According to the data obtained from different hospitals in Iraq during the period between January 2023 and January 2024, we revealed the pathological parameters of 72 samples that underwent open heart surgery under regional anaesthesia. A general questionnaire was conducted in order to evaluate the patient's general health and quality of life, as well as to determine the side effects of regional anaesthesia on patients after open heart surgery. Outcomes: The present study enrolled the outcomes of 72 patients, with males constituting 80.56% of the sample and females 19.44%. The data revealed that 55.56% of patients were smokers, with coronary artery disease (40 cases) and heart valve disease (32 cases) being the most prevalent causes. The prevailing symptoms were shortness of breath (80.56%) and chest pain (75.0%), indicating a significant prevalence of respiratory distress in the patient population. Postoperative complications were observed in 22.22% of patients, including low cardiac output in three cases, sternal wound infection in three patients, and stroke in three patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 3.33%. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 9.12 ± 2.55 days. The physical function of the patients was measured using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey, with a mean score of 30.24 ± 5.78 before surgery, 66.21 ± 8.41 after CABG, and 71.22 ± 6.39. Following HVS, the pain levels were recorded at 36.32 ± 8.33 before surgery, 74.19 ± 5.01 after CABG, and 67.07 ± 4.80 after HVS. Conclusion: Regional anaesthesia is a great way to stop pain after open heart surgery. This helps patients to get better more quickly and feel better.