Clinical efficacy of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol has been identified to be beneficial in the amount of operations such as gastrointestinal surgery. However, the efficacy and safety in robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy/laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP/LRP) still remain controversial.

METHOD

We searched randomized controlled trials and retrospective cohort studies comparing ERAS versus conventional care for prostate cancer patients who have undergone RALP/LRP. ERAS-related data were extracted, and quality of included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale and the Jadad scale.

RESULT

As a result, seven trials containing 784 prostate cancer patients were included. ERAS was observed to be significantly associated with shorter length of hospital stay (SMD - 2.55, 95%CI - 3.32 to - 1.78, P < 0.05), shorter time to flatus (SMD - 1.55, 95%CI - 2.26 to - 0.84, P < 0.05), shorter time to ambulate (SMD - 6.50, 95%CI - 10.91 to - 2.09, P < 0.05), shorter time to defecate (SMD - 2.80, 95%CI - 4.56 to - 1.04, P < 0.05), and shorter time to remove drainage tube (SMD - 2.72, 95%CI - 5.31 to - 0.12, P < 0.05). Otherwise, no significant difference was reported in other measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, ERAS can reduce length of hospital stay, time to flatus, time to defecate, time to ambulate, and time to remove drainage tube in prostate cancer patients who have undergone RALP/LRP compared with conventional care.