Impact of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Program Implementation. Our Results

Area of Science:

• Colorectal Surgery
• Perioperative Care
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program is a multimodal perioperative care pathway.
• ERAS aims to optimize patient recovery following surgical procedures.
• This study investigates ERAS impact on colorectal surgery outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of ERAS implementation on length of stay (LOS) in colorectal surgery.
• To assess the impact of ERAS on postoperative complication rates.
• To determine the feasibility and clinical value of ERAS in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective-prospective cohort study of 231 elective colorectal surgery patients (2016-2023).
• Comparison between pre-ERAS (n=84) and ERAS (n=147) groups.
• Primary outcome: LOS; Secondary outcomes: complications, transfusion rates. Statistical analysis using Student's t-test and chi-square test.

Main Results:

• ERAS significantly reduced LOS from 10.3 to 5.5 days (p < 0.01).
• Overall complication rates showed no significant difference (p=0.15), but ERAS group had fewer complications (10.5% vs 18.1%).
• No significant differences in anastomotic leaks, surgical site infections, or transfusion rates between groups.

Conclusions:

• The ERAS protocol effectively reduces hospital LOS in colorectal surgery patients.
• ERAS implementation does not appear to increase postoperative morbidity.
• Findings support the clinical utility and feasibility of ERAS for colorectal surgery.