Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Pathway in Adolescent Patients Undergoing Periacetabular...

Periacetabular osteotomy, commonly performed for prearthritic hip dysplasia, was identified as a procedure that could benefit from an enhanced recovery after surgery pathway due to wide variation in multimodal pain management and regional anesthesia practices at our institution. The global aim of this project was to implement an enhanced recovery after surgery pathway for patients undergoing periacetabular osteotomy. Our SMART aim was to achieve greater than 70% compliance for the intraoperative medication bundle elements during the first PDSA cycle.

A multidisciplinary pathway was designed and implemented with key stakeholders from the Departments of Evidence Based Practice, Anesthesiology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Perioperative Nursing. Patient data from all patients undergoing periacetabular osteotomy from 2018 to the present were analyzed, which included the baseline cohort as well as outcomes from two Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles.

After ERAS implementation and two subsequent Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, we observed a decrease in hospital length of stay from 3.34 days (95% CI [2.95, 3.72]) to 2.37 days (95% CI [2.00, 2.74]) and an intraoperative medication bundle compliance of 90%. These gains occurred with minimal change in average postoperative pain scores and no hospital readmissions within 30 days of surgery.

Multidisciplinary enhanced recovery after surgery pathways continue to play a critical role in standardizing perioperative care, reducing unwarranted variation, and promoting faster recovery across paediatric populations.