Patients' Experience With Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Surgical Innovation
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols are known to reduce length of stay and complications in cardiac surgery.
• The impact of ERAS on patients' peri-operative experience remains less understood.
• This study specifically assesses patient experience within a cardiac ERAS program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the peri-operative experience of patients undergoing cardiac surgery under an ERAS protocol.
• To assess patient concerns, information sources, and prehabilitation effectiveness.
• To compare patient expectations with the reality of post-operative recovery and quality of life.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, single-centre study involving 191 consecutive cardiac surgery patients using ERAS.
• Administration of questionnaires pre-operatively, at 6 weeks, and 6 months post-operatively.
• Assessment of pre-operative concerns, information sources, education, prehabilitation, recovery expectations vs. reality, surgical satisfaction, and quality of life.

Main Results:

• Pain was the primary pre-operative concern; face-to-face discussions were the most valued information source.
• Alcohol consumption decreased threefold from pre-assessment to surgery.
• Post-operative pain was less severe than expected, and in-hospital pain control yielded high satisfaction.
• Patients required more support for daily living activities than anticipated.
• Physical and mental health quality of life scores improved significantly at 6 months post-surgery.

Conclusions:

• The cardiac ERAS protocol effectively integrates prehabilitation and education.
• Enhanced patient counseling on peri-operative risks, pain management, and recovery expectations can further reduce stress.
• The protocol positively impacts patient-reported outcomes and quality of life.