Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) versus standard care for children undergoing thoracoscopic anatomical...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Thoracic Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)

Background:

• Thoracoscopic anatomical pulmonary resection is effective in adults but presents challenges in pediatric patients.
• The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) concept has shown success in adult surgical recovery.
• Investigating ERAS applicability in pediatric thoracoscopic anatomical pulmonary resection is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the ERAS management model in pediatric thoracoscopic anatomical pulmonary resection.
• To compare perioperative outcomes between ERAS and standard care groups in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

• A single-center before-after comparative study involving 522 pediatric patients undergoing thoracoscopic anatomical pulmonary resections.
• Patients were divided into an ERAS group (n=323) and a standard care group (n=199).
• Outcomes assessed included operative duration, chest-tube duration, length of hospital stay, hospitalization costs, and quality of life.

Main Results:

• The ERAS group demonstrated significantly shorter operative times (53.5 vs 97.9 minutes) and chest-tube durations (2.0 vs 4.4 days).
• ERAS was associated with a reduced length of hospital stay (7.6 vs 10.0 days) and lower hospitalization costs (CNY 31,455.3 vs 37,139.8).
• Quality of life scores were significantly higher in the ERAS group (100% vs 73.4% achieving higher grades).

Conclusions:

• The ERAS management model significantly improves postoperative recovery in pediatric thoracoscopic anatomical pulmonary resection.
• ERAS minimizes complications and decreases hospital stays, offering substantial clinical benefits for pediatric patients.
• Further validation in larger cohorts is recommended to confirm the wider applicability of ERAS in this population.