Table 5. Comparison of VAS and KPS scores before and after surgery.

Variables	Subxiphoid group (n=54)	Control group (n=54)	t-value	p
	Mean±SD	Mean±SD
VAS scores
D1 (preoperative)	0.5±0.5	0.5±0.5	-0.573	0.568
D1	6.5±0.8	7.2±0.8	-4.297	<0.001
D7	2.9±0.8	3.4±0.8	-3.222	0.002
KPS scores
D1 (preoperative)	88.3±8.2	88.7±7.5	-0.245	0.807
D1	81.5±5.0	72.4±4.3	10.192	<0.001
D7	79.3±7.7	71.3±4.8	6.437	<0.001
SD: Standard deviation; VAS: Visual Analog Scale; KPS: Karnofsky Performance Status; D1: First day after surgery; D7: Seventh day after surgery.