The Effect of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol on Surgical Site Infections in Liver Transplantation

Liver surgeries are treatment modalities that require careful pre- and postoperative follow-up for both the surgeon and the patient. Infections are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation. Infections are the most frequent cause of death between 30 and 180 days after liver transplantation. We aimed to investigate the effect of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol on the prevention of infections in liver transplant patients. The study included patients who underwent liver transplantation in Ataturk University Organ Transplantation Center between 2017 and 2022. Two patient groups with and without ERAS were formed. Blood and urine cultures were collected retrospectively, and those with positive blood cultures for bacteremia were recorded as infection development. The development of infection between the two groups was statistically compared. Also, all patients' length of intensive care stay, length of hospital stay, and duration of antibiotic use were recorded. These parameters were compared between both groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of infection development (p: 0.01). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of duration of antibiotic use and length of hospital stay (Mann-Whitney U test; p: 0.00, p: 0.04, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of length of intensive care stay. We concluded that the introduction of an ERAS protocol was associated with fewer infections, thus shortening the duration of antibiotic therapy and length of hospital stay, although the standardization of the protocols is difficult, especially in liver transplants.