Results following implementation of a cardiac surgery ERAS protocol. PloS one Obafemi, T., Mullis, D., Bajaj, S., Krishna, P., Boyd, J. 2023; 18 (7): e0277868

Abstract

Adequate peri-operative care is essential to ensuring a satisfactory outcome in cardiac surgery. In this study, we look at the impact of evidence-based protocols implemented at Stanford Hospital.This study is a single-center, retrospective analysis. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols were implemented for CABG/Valve and open Aortic operations on 11/1/2017 and 6/1/2018, respectively. Propensity-score matched analysis was used to compare 30-day mortality and morbidity of patients from the pre- and post-implementation cohorts. Secondary endpoints included the following: total hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, time until extubation, and time until urinary catheter removal.After the implementation of the ERAS protocols for CABG/Valve operations, the median post-op LOS decreased from 7.0 days to 6.1 days (p<0.001), and median ICU LOS decreased from 69.9 hours to 54.0 (p = 0.098). There was no significant decrease in 30-day mortality (4% to 3.3%, p = 0.47). However, the incidence of post-op ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) decreased from 5.0% to 2.1% (p = 0.003) and post-op urinary tract infections (UTIs) from 8.3% to 3.6% (p<0.001). Patients who underwent open aortic procedures experienced an improvement in 30-day mortality (7% to 3.5%, p = 0.012), decrease in median ICU LOS (91.7 hours to 69.6 hours, p<0.001), and a decrease in duration of mechanical ventilation (79.3 hours to 46.3 hours, p = 0.003). There was a decrease in post-op LOS, post-op VAP, and post-op UTI, although statistical significance was not attained.At Stanford Hospital, ERAS pathways have led to decreased morbidity and LOS while simultaneously improving mortality amongst our critically ill patient population.

View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0277868

View details for PubMedID 37450443

View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10348550