ABSTRACT
Objective Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) refers to a series of evidence-based medical evidence that has been used to confirm the effective treatment measures in perioperative period, which contributes to speed up the recovery of patients. We aimed to explore the effect of preoperative ERAS for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods Patients with cardiac surgery of a single-center (third-class hospital in cardiac surgery intensive care unit) were compared 6 months before the implementation of ERAS (n =704) and 6 months after implementation (n = 685), and followed up for 1 month. The primary outcomes were acute renal failure, re-intubation, stroke and 30-day mortality. The secondary outcomes included re-operation rates, bloating, wound infections and lung infections. Results After the implementation of ERAS, the mechanical ventilation time decreased significantly from the median of 6 hours to 4.5 hours (P<0.001). The ICU stay time and hospitalization time after ICU transfer were significantly shorter (P<0.001), and the incidence of adverse events, postoperative abdominal distension and lung infection was significantly lower (P<0.05). Addictionally, the hospitalization cost decreased (P<0.05), and the satisfaction increased (P<0.05). Conclusion ERAS for patients undergoing heart surgery can effectively promote their postoperative recovery, decrease postoperative complications, shorten the length of hospitalization, reduce the cost of hospitalization, then improve patients’ satisfaction. The transformation and application of ERAS in cardiac surgery has important clinical value.