Implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery pathway for patients undergoing mastectomy

Mastectomy is still a common treatment for breast cancer. The introduction of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathway (ERAS) having proven its benefits for major surgeries has not yet been validated for mastectomy without reconstruction. Our study was conducted to investigate the effects of implementing an ERAS pathway for mastectomies, including the length of hospital stay, postoperative complications and patient satisfaction.

The study population included all patients who underwent mastectomy without immediate breast reconstruction in the gynecological surgery department of the Tours University Hospital during the year 2020. We compared patients who underwent an ERAS protocol with those who were managed in a standard manner.

Of the 92 patients managed for mastectomy, 32 were managed in the ERAS group. The two groups were comparable. We found fewer postoperative complications with this protocol in multivariate analysis. We also obtained a 37% response rate to the satisfaction questionnaires. We did not find any significant difference between the 2 groups.

There is a trend towards a decrease in the length of hospitalization associated with a decrease in postoperative complications thanks to the implementation of a ERAS protocol for the management of mastectomies. Future studies should focus on both objective clinical outcomes and patient-reported experiences to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of ERAS protocols in mastectomy patients.