"Ultra" E.R.A.S. in laparoscopic colectomy for cancer: discharge after the first flatus? A prospective, randomized trial

Detection of Anastomotic Leakage Following Elective Colonic Surgery: Results of the Prospective Biomarkers and Anastomotic Leakage (BALL) Study

BACKGROUND

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is an infrequent but life-threatening surgical complication following colorectal surgery. Early diagnosis remains clinically difficult but is a necessity to reduce associated morbidity and mortality. Clinical review and radiological modalities for the diagnosis of leakage remain non-specific and often only detect AL once it is well developed. Inflammatory biomarkers however have shown promise in early pre-clinical detection of leakage following colorectal surgery.

METHODS

A multi-center, prospective observational study was conducted across four public hospitals in Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand. Consecutive adults undergoing elective colectomy were initially recruited over a 3-y period. Perioperative blood samples were collected to measure interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor α, IL-10, C-reactive protein (CRP), leukocyte and neutrophil counts. Statistical analysis was performed to compare patients with an uncomplicated recovery with patients with AL.

RESULTS

Sixteen patients developed AL (5.7%), diagnosed at a median post-operative (POD) day 7. CRP and IL-6 were consistently elevated in the early post-operative period in patients with AL, and had the best diagnostic accuracy on POD 3 (area under the curve 0.70; P = 0.02) and POD 1 (area under the curve 0.69; P = 0.02), respectively. IL-10, once adjusted for body mass index and surgical approach, was the sole biomarker significantly elevated in patients with AL on POD 4.

CONCLUSIONS

Early post-operative elevations of CRP and IL-6 provide utility for early detection of AL after elective colectomy. Application of these inflammatory biomarkers and their combinations in daily practice warrants further investigation.

OUP accepted manuscript

Background

Early postoperative discharge after colorectal surgery within the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) guidelines has been demonstrated to be safe, although its applicability has not been universal. The primary aim of this study was to identify the predictors of early discharge and readiness for discharge in a study population.

Methods

Early discharge was defined as discharge occurring in 72 h or less after surgery. The characteristics and clinical outcomes of the patients in the early and non-early discharge groups were compared, and variables associated with early discharge were identified. Additionally, independent variables associated with the readiness for discharge within 48 h were evaluated.

Results

Of 965 patients who underwent colorectal surgery between January 2015 and July 2020, 788 were included in this study. No differences in readmission, reoperation, or 30-day mortality were observed between the early and non-early discharge groups. Both early discharge and readiness for discharge had a positive association with adherence to 80 per cent or more of the ERAS items and a negative association with the female sex, duration of surgery, drain positioning, and postoperative complications.

Conclusion

Early discharge after colorectal surgery is safe and feasible, and is not associated with a high risk of readmission or reoperation. Discharge at 48 h can be reliably predicted in a subset of patients. Future studies should collect prospective data on early discharge related to safety, as well as patients’ expectations, possible organizational issues, and effective costs reduction in Italian clinical practice.

Surgical rectus sheath block combined with multimodal pain management reduces postoperative pain and analgesic requirement after single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy: a retrospective study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of multimodal postoperative pain management, performing a surgical rectus sheath (RS) block via ropivacaine injection into the surgical field after single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA).

METHODS

Patients who underwent single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA) for acute appendicitis were divided into three groups and compared: group 1 (multimodal pain management that included intraoperative application of a surgical RS block), group 2 (conventional pain management with intravenous opioids), or group 3 (multimodal pain management without RS block). Forty, 53, and 42 patients were registered, respectively (Table 1).

RESULTS

Time to start a liquid (1.2 ± 0.4 h) in group 1 was statistically significantly shorter than that in group 2 (16.3 ± 8.4 h; p < 0.001) and group 3 (4.93 ± 2.3 h; p < 0.001). The median and max postoperative VAS scores in group 1 (1.6 ± 1.2 and 2.2 ± 1.8, respectively) were statistically significantly lower than that in group 2 (3.0 ± 1.2 and 4.2 ± 1.9, respectively; p < 0.001 on both accounts) and group 3 (2.9 ± 0.6 and 3.4 ± 1.2, respectively; p < 0.001 on both accounts). The postoperative hospital stay for group 1 (17.0 ± 9.4 h) was shorter than that for group 2 (44.7 ± 27.9 h; p < 0.001) and group 3 (35.4 ± 20.9 h; p < 0.001). RS block was a significant factor for reducing length of hospital stay and postoperative pain in 24 h.

CONCLUSIONS

A surgical RS block combined with multimodal pain management after SILA is a safe and effective method that results in reduced postoperative pain and shorter hospitalization.

ERAS pathway in colorectal surgery: structured implementation program and high adherence for improved outcomes

Although there is clear evidence that an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program in colorectal surgery leads to significantly reduced morbidity rates and length of hospital stay (LOS), it is still unclear what modalities and levels of implementation of the program are necessary to achieve these results. The purpose of this study is to analyze the methods and results of the first year of structured implementation of a colorectal ERAS program in two surgical units of the Azienda Sanitaria Unica Regionale (ASUR) Marche in Italy. A two-center observational study on a prospectively maintained database was performed on 196 consecutive colorectal resections (excluding emergencies and American Society of Anesthesiologists class > III cases) over a 1-year period. More than 50 variables including adherence to the individual items of the ERAS program were considered. Primary outcomes were overall morbidity, major morbidity, mortality and anastomotic leakage rates; secondary outcomes were LOS, re-admission and re-operation. The results were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses through logistic regression. After a median follow-up of 39.5 days, we recorded complications in 72 patients (overall morbidity 36.7%), major complications in 14 patients (major morbidity 7.1%), 6 deaths (mortality 3.1%), anastomotic dehiscence in 9 cases (4.9%), mean overall LOS of 6.6 days, 10 readmissions (5.1%) and 13 reoperations (6.7%). The mean adherence rate to the items of the ERAS program was 85.4%, showing a significant dose-effect curve for overall and major morbidity rates, anastomotic leakage rates and LOS. The implementation methods of a colorectal ERAS program in this study led to a high adherence (> 80%) to the program items. High adherence had significant effects also on major morbidity and anastomotic leakage rates.

Comparing the Postoperative Outcomes of Single-Incision Laparoscopic Appendectomy and Three Port Appendectomy With Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol for Acute Appendicitis: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to compare the perioperative outcomes between single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA) and 3-port conventional laparoscopic appendectomy (CLA) in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol.

METHODS

Of 101 laparoscopic appendectomy with ERAS protocol cases for appendicitis from March 2019 to April 2020, 54 patients underwent SILA with multimodal analgesic approach (group 1) while 47 patients received CLA with multimodal analgesic approach (group 2). SILA and CLA were compared with the single institution's ERAS protocol. To adjust for baseline differences and selection bias, operative outcomes and complications were compared after propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

After 1:1 PSM, well-matched 35 patients in each group were evaluated. Postoperative hospital stays for patients in group 1 (1.2 ± 0.8 vs. 1.6 ± 0.8 days, P = 0.037) were significantly lesser than those for patients in group 2. However, opioid consumption (2.0 mg vs. 1.4 mg, P=0.1) and the postoperative scores of visual analogue scale for pain at 6 hours (2.4±1.9 vs. 2.8 ± 1.4, P = 0.260) and 12 hours (2.4 ± 2.0 vs. 2.9 ± 1.5, P = 0.257) did not show significant difference between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSION

SILA resulted in shortening the length of hospitalization without increase in complications or readmission rates compared to CLA with ERAS protocol.

Enhanced recovery after surgery protocol allows ambulatory laparoscopic appendectomy in uncomplicated acute appendicitis: a prospective, randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Previous observational studies have demonstrated the safety of discharging patients after laparoscopic appendectomy within the same day without hospitalization. The application of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines has resulted in shorter length of stay, fewer complications, and reduction in medical costs. The aim of this study was to investigate if ERAS protocol implementation in patients with acute uncomplicated appendicitis decreases the length of stay enough to allow for ambulatory laparoscopic appendectomy.

METHODS

In this prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial, 108 patients were randomized into two groups: laparoscopic appendectomy with ERAS (LA-E) or laparoscopic appendectomy with conventional care (LA-C). The primary endpoint was postoperative length of stay. The secondary end points were time to resume diet, postoperative pain, postoperative complications, re-admission rate, and reoperation rate.

RESULTS

From January 2016 through May 2017, 50 patients in the LA-E group and 58 in the LA-C were analyzed. There were no significant differences in preoperative data. Regarding the primary end point of the study, the ERAS protocol significantly reduced the postoperative length of stay with a mean of 9.7 h (SD: 3.1) versus 23.2 h (SD: 6.8) in the conventional group (p < 0.001). The ERAS protocol allowed ambulatory management in 90% of the patients included in this group. There was a significant reduction in time to resume diet (110 vs. 360 min, p < 0.001) and less moderate-severe postoperative pain (28 vs. 62.1%, p < 0.001) in the LA-E versus LA-C group. The rate of complications, readmissions, and reoperations were comparable in both groups (p = 0.772).

CONCLUSIONS

ERAS implementation was associated with a significantly shorter length of stay, allowing for the ambulatory management of this group of patients. Ambulatory laparoscopic appendectomy is safe and feasible with similar rates of morbidity and readmissions compared with conventional care.

The Development of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Across Surgical Specialties

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS^®) principles have gained traction in variety of surgical disciplines. The promise of a reduced length of stay without compromising patient safety or increasing readmission rates has produced a body of literature examining the implementation of ERAS in the care of general, thoracic, urologic, and gynecologic surgery patients.

METHODS

We performed a review of the literature pertaining to studies of ERAS implementation across colorectal surgery, general surgery, thoracic surgery, urology, and gynecology. The extent of ERAS implementation and reported outcomes across key studies as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses in each field were summarized.

RESULTS

The implementation of ERAS protocols has not been uniform across surgical specialties. Despite this, ERAS has produced improvements in patient outcomes. The most commonly described benefit of ERAS application has been reduced length of stay; complication and readmission rates are most consistently decreased in the colorectal literature. Studies have started to measure more nuanced measures of postoperative patient well-being. Efforts are growing to standardize ERAS protocols across diverse fields and call attention to the need for quality control.

CONCLUSIONS

Challenges remain in the study and execution of ERAS. Controlling for adherence to ERAS components and implementing uniform ERAS protocols across studies are burgeoning topics that have significant implications for study design. The practice of ERAS and its benefits to patients are expected to evolve. Assessing improvements in postdischarge quality of life, timing of return to work and independent living, and adherence to scheduled delivery of adjuvant treatments will strengthen future ERAS investigations.