Background:The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of low-level laser therapy for reducing the acute pain of sternotomy in patients who underwent a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).Methods:This study was conducted with ninety volunteers who electively submitted to CABG. The volunteers were randomly allocated into three groups of equal size (n = 30): control, placebo, and laser (λ of 660 nm and spatial average energy fluency of 1.06 J/cm2). Pain when coughing was assessed by a visual analog scale (VAS) and McGill Pain Questionnaire, according to sensory, affective, evaluative, and miscellaneous domains. The patients were followed for 1 month after the surgery.Results:The laser group had a greater decrease in pain with analogous results, as indicated by both the VAS and the McGill questionnaire (P ≤ 0.05) on sensory and affective scores, on days 6 and 8 postsurgery compared to the placebo and control groups.Conclusion:Laser seems to be effective promoting pain reduction after coronary-arterial bypass grafting.

Introduction: Low-intensity laser (LILT)

This study aimed to analyze the effects of light-emitting diode (LED) therapy on sternotomy pain and healing in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The patients were followed for 6 months after the surgery to determine their dehiscence. This study was conducted with 90 volunteers who electively submitted to CABG. The volunteers were randomly allocated into three different groups of equal size: LED (λ of 640 ± 20 nm and spatial average energy fluency of 1.2 J/cm(2) during hospitalization), placebo, or control. The outcomes assessed were pain when coughing by a visual analog scale (VAS) and the McGill questionnaire and sternotomy healing by clinical assessment and photographical register end interpretation. The LED group had better pain reduction, as indicated by both the VAS and the McGill questionnaire (number of words chosen and pain index) (p ≤ 0.05), on days 6 and 8 after hospital discharge compared to the placebo and control groups. One month after surgery, almost no individual mentioned pain when coughing. Three researchers blindly analyzed the incision photographs to determine hyperemia and wound closure, and they found that the LED group had both less hyperemia and less incision bleeding or dehiscence. The LED therapy (640 nm) had an analgesic effect on the sternotomies of patients who underwent CABG, increasing their incision healing and preventing dehiscence.

Myocardial revascularization surgery (CABG) is the most appropriate treatment for coronary artery disease. Currently, the great challenge is to reduce postoperative complications, such as wound infections, dehiscence, pain, and patients' quality of life. The saphenectomy is the target of complications in 10% of cases, which can cause greater morbidity, time, and cost of hospitalization. Studies show that low-intensity laser or light-emitted diode (LED) therapy promotes positive biomodulation of the tissue repair process, culminating in a lower incidence of dehiscence, pain reduction, and improvement in quality of life. The objective of the present study was to evaluate clinically the saphenous tissue repair after LED therapy. Forty subjects of both genders who underwent CABG with extracorporeal circulation were randomly divided into two groups: the placebo (PG) and experimental (EG). The experimental group underwent low-intensity LED therapy (λ 640 ± 20 nm, 6 J/cm) on saphenectomy. The tissue repair was analyzed by digital photogrammetry on the first and fifth postoperative day. The border closure was blindly evaluated by three researchers. The hematoma and hyperemia area was quantitatively analyzed using ImageJ© software. The results showed that in the experimental group, there were less bleeding points and no dehiscence in saphenectomy, as compared to the placebo group. There was also a smaller area of hematoma and hyperemia in the experimental group (p < 0.0009). These data lead to the conclusion that the type of phototherapy protocol employed can assist in tissue repair.