ArticleJournal of cardiothoracic surgery2026
Minimally invasive versus sternotomy cardiac surgery in younger adults: the role of body image in health-related quality of life.
Article in Journal of cardiothoracic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChest scars after cardiac surgery may be especially important for body image and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in younger adults, but the impact of minimally invasive versus sternotomy access on these outcomes remains unclear.
objectiveTo compare body image and HRQoL after minimally invasive versus sternotomy cardiac surgery in adults younger than 60 years and to explore whether body image may be associated with the relationship between access route and HRQoL.
methodsIn this retrospective cross-sectional study, 47 patients younger than 60 years who had undergone cardiac surgery 4-22 months earlier completed structured interviews. Body image was assessed with the Body Esteem Scale and summarized as a gender-standardized Body Image Score. HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5 L Index Value and EQ-VAS. Nonparametric group comparisons, correlation and regression analyses, and exploratory mediation analysis with bootstrapped confidence intervals were conducted.
resultsEQ-5D Index Values and EQ-VAS scores did not differ significantly between access routes. Patients after minimally invasive surgery reported higher satisfaction with chest appearance and tended to report more favorable overall body image. Body image was positively associated with both HRQoL indicators and predicted HRQoL in regression models. Exploratory mediation analysis was inconclusive: bootstrap confidence intervals suggested a possible indirect association between surgical approach and EQ-5D Index Values via body image, but the corresponding z-based test was not statistically significant.
conclusionsIn younger adults after cardiac surgery, minimally invasive access was associated with more favorable perceptions of chest appearance, while overall HRQoL was similar across groups. Body image was associated with HRQoL and may represent a relevant psychosocial factor to consider in postoperative care and shared decision making. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify its role.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.