An estimated 700,000 sternotomies are performed annually in the United States. It is a serious surgery that opens up the chest cavity through the breastbone, or sternum, to gain access to the lungs and heart. A sternotomy procedure is done in advance of other procedures like coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic valve repair and replacement, VAD (ventricular assist device) implantation, and heart transplants.
One of the most challenging side effects of a sternotomy is the pain from the incision afterwards.
Patients are typically prescribed strong pain medications, like an opioid, following surgery to cope, which can present the dangerous risk for opioid addiction in some.
Cryoanalgesia is a newly developed therapy using freezing technology to mitigate pain from sternotomies that is proving increasingly effective.
CTVS board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Eric Hoenicke has been using cryoanalgesia on patients for about two years.
“I see patients in the office usually around 30 days post-operatively, and I always ask how their incisional pain is,” he says. “More than 25 percent of patients state that they never had any pain following sternotomy when cryoanalgesia is utilized.”
Dr. Hoenicke shares that he believes the reduction of pain through technology like cryoanalgesia can greatly enhance postoperative recovery in open heart surgery patients.
What is cryoanalgesia?
Cryoanalgesia is a new form of pain management for those undergoing open heart surgeries or sternotomies. Innovative freezing technology is used to numb nerves and temporarily block pain signals at the site of the incision. It is likened to the effect of feeling a temporary ‘anesthesia’ that lasts for several weeks during the recovery period.
Dr. Hoenicke explains that it’s like turning the pain nerves ‘off’ or ‘down.’
How does cryoanalgesia work?
At the beginning of the heart or lung procedure, specially treated probes at intensely cold temperatures are used to freeze the nerves surrounding the incision.
This treatment adds less than fifteen minutes to the primary procedure and the pain relief typically lasts for 6-8 weeks highly effective at managing the pain.
This treatment is reversible and nerve feeling will gradually return to normal after approximately 8 weeks.
What are the benefits of cryoanalgesia?
In addition to decreased pain following surgery, other benefits of cryoanalgesia may include:
- Reduced need for opioid or prescription painkillers
- Reduction in the “stress response” following the surgical procedure
- Enhanced mobility during recovery and the potential for a shorter hospital stay
- Overall enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)
Who is an ideal candidate for cryoanalgesia?
Patients considered ideal candidates for this therapy are those who are:
- Younger and male
- Undergoing multiple complex procedures within the opened chest cavity
- Allergic to opioids or have a hard time tolerating them
- Already on other painkillers or at risk for opioid addiction
- Anxious about their surgery or the resulting pain/recovery period
Dr. Hoenicke is recognized as a key opinion leader and national expert in this field and has given multiple presentations and webinars educating physicians, health care providers and health care industry leaders across the country.
For questions about our vascular, cardiac, or thoracic services, please visit ctvstexas.com or call us at (512) 459-8753 to schedule an appointment.
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