Comparison of pain severity following video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy: electric versus harmonic scalpels.

The aim of this study was to compare the severity of pain over a 30-day period in a group of 1515 patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy (VATS) to treat primary hyperhidrosis, among whom 929 were treated using electric scalpels and 586 using harmonic scalpels. From February 2000 to June 2008, 1515 patients scheduled for VATS were prospectively surveyed. They were divided into two groups according to whether electric or harmonic scalpels would be used. The patients filled out a protocol at every visit according to their subjective perception of pain, evaluating it on a scale from 0 to 10, such that 0 represented no pain and 10, maximum pain. The severity was recorded as null when the score was 0; slight, 1-4; moderate, 5-7; or severe, 8-10. The results from the evaluations were compared between the two groups. Only 152 patients did not present postoperative pain. No significant association was found between the type of scalpel used and the severity of the pain. There was no difference between harmonic and electric scalpel use in the levels of thoracic pain during the first 30 days after VATS.