The "Weekday Effect" on Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Protocol for Gastrectomy

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Gastrointestinal Surgery
• Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols improve outcomes post-gastrectomy.
• The
• weekday effect
• may negatively impact postoperative morbidity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the day of gastrectomy surgery affects postoperative outcomes.
• To assess the impact of surgery timing on compliance with ERAS protocol items.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of gastrectomy patients (Jan 2017-Sep 2021).
• Patients divided into Early (Mon-Wed) and Late (Thu-Fri) surgery groups.
• Comparison of ERAS compliance and postoperative outcomes between groups.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in ERAS compliance between Early (n=227) and Late (n=154) groups.
• Median length of stay, morbidity (50%), severe complications (13-15%), and 90-day mortality (2%) were similar.
• Preoperative characteristics were comparable between groups.

Conclusions:

• Weekday of gastrectomy does not significantly impact ERAS protocol success.
• Postoperative surgical and oncological outcomes are not affected by the day of gastrectomy in a standardized ERAS setting.