Published online Dec 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i47.13339
Peer-review started: May 7, 2015
First decision: July 10, 2015
Revised: July 27, 2015
Accepted: October 12, 2015
Article in press: October 13, 2015
Published online: December 21, 2015
Processing time: 229 Days and 0 Hours
AIM: To study the efficacy of the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for stomach carcinomas.
METHODS: From June 2010 to December 2012, 61 gastric cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy at First Hospital of Jilin University were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. (Clinical Trials.gov, registration ID: NCT01955096). The subjects were divided into the ERAS program group and the conventional control group. The clinical characteristics, recovery variables, and complications of patients were analyzed.
RESULTS: The time to first ambulation, oral food intake, and time to defecation were significantly shorter in the ERAS group (n = 30), compared to the conventional group (n = 31; P = 0.04, 0.003, and 0.01, respectively). The postoperative hospital stay was less in the ERAS group (6.8 ± 1.1 d) compared to the conventional group (7.7 ± 1.1 d) (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in postoperative complications between the ERAS (1/30) and conventional care groups (2/31) (P = 1.00). There were no readmissions or mortality during the 30-d follow-up period.
CONCLUSION: The ERAS program is associated with a shorter hospital stay in gastric cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. The ERAS protocol is useful in the treatment of gastric cancer.
Core tip: This randomized controlled trial enrolled 61 consecutive laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy patients, who were divided into the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) group and the conventional group. Compared to the conventional group, the ERAS group showed earlier postoperative food intake, earlier defecation time, and shorter postoperative hospital stay. ERAS was safe and feasible in patients with advanced gastric cancers.