Sunday, October 18, 2009

Incidence of chest wall paresthesia 50.0%

Paresthetic discomfort distinguishable from wound pain was described by 17 patients (50.0%). The most common descriptions were of ‘bloating’ (41.2%), ‘pins and needles’ (35.3%), or ‘numbness’ (23.5%) in the chest wall. The paresthesia resolved in less than two months in 12 patients (70.6%), but was still felt for over 12 months in three patients (17.6%).
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2005;27:313-319