ERAS benefits in older colorectal surgery patients

Editor's Note

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) procedures showed benefits among older patients with colon cancer and other comorbidities, without compromising results, according to study findings published December 11 in Frontiers in Surgery.

Investigators evaluated postoperative complications and length of stay in colorectal cancer patients undergoing ERAS compared with non-ERAS procedures in a population-based cohort in northern Italy. Among a total of 319 patients, 113 were placed in the non-ERAS group and 206 patients received ERAS. The ERAS group showed fewer complications and less days of hospitalization, but more re-surgery, new hospitalizations and death at 30 days.

While ERAS procedures were administered to a greater number of patients with frailty and comorbidities, the investigators noted that ERAS patients exhibited a lower incidence of complications at 13.6% versus 16.8% and a reduced length of hospital stay at 4.8 days versus 7.3 days.

They concluded that, despite patients in the ERAS cohort being slightly older and more fragile, this has had no impact on the number of interventions performed.