Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols is extremely beneficial in liver surgeries – A metaanalysis

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs aim to improve postoperative outcomes.. This metaanalysis aims to evaluate the impact of ERAS programmes on outcomes following liver surgeries. METHODS EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed and the Cochrane Database were searched for studies comparing outcomes in patients undergoing liver surgery utilizing ERAS principles with those patients receiving conventional care. The primary outcome was occurrence of 30 day morbidity and mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, functional recovery, readmission rates,time to pass flatus,blood loss and hospital costs. RESULTS Ten articles were included in the metaanalysis. 30 days morbidity and mortality was significantly less in ERAS group.Hospital stay, time to pass flatus, time to complete recovery and hospital costs were also significantly reduced due to ERAS protocols. Blood loss and readmission rates were also significantly less in ERAS group. CONCLUSIONS The adoption of ERAS protocols significantly reduced morbidity, mortality hospital stay, readmission rates, time to recovery, hospital costs, time to pass flatus, blood loss and readmission rates.