Investigating the Impact of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Protocols on the Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction after Elective Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of General Surgery, Ahmed Maher Teaching Hospital, Cairo, Egypt

2 Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Introduction: Major abdominal surgeries often entail prolonged hospital stays due to outdated perioperative care
protocols. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs, integrating multidisciplinary, and scientific-based
measures, have been developed to address this issue by improving postoperative recovery.
Aim of work: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of ERAS protocols on postoperative pain, analgesic use,
and quality of life following elective abdominal surgeries.
Patients and methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 100 patients undergoing elective
abdominal surgery at Ain Shams University and Ahmed Maher Teaching Hospitals. Patients were randomly allocated
into two groups: ERAS Group (n=50) and Traditional Group (n=50). The ERAS Group followed specific care
procedures outlined in the ERAS protocols, while the Traditional Group adhered to conventional protocols based
on surgeon preferences.
Results: There were no significant differences between groups in age, gender, BMI, comorbidities, operative time,
or intraoperative blood loss. The ERAS Group showed significantly lower pain scores, using Visual Analog Scale,
on the first postoperative day (mean 3.8±1.1) compared to the Traditional Group (mean 5.5±0.95, p<0.0001).
The ERAS Group also required fewer analgesics postoperatively (90% vs. 30%, p<0.00001). Hospital stays were
significantly shorter for the ERAS Group (Mean 3.1±1.14 days) compared to the Traditional Group (mean 4.2±1.3
days, p<0.0001). No significant differences were observed in postoperative quality of life between the two groups
(mean scores: ERAS 83.9±8.05 vs. Traditional 81.9±8.07, p=0.22).
Conclusion: The ERAS protocols significantly improve postoperative outcomes, reducing pain and hospital stay
durations without increasing complications, however no remarkable impact on postoperative quality of life was
observed. Further multicenter studies with larger cohorts are needed to confirm these findings and optimize ERAS
implementation.

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